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Sunset bill signed; AB 3254 extends CFB through 2029 and mandates endowment-care reporting and abandoned-cemetery work group
Summary
Advisory committee members heard that AB 3254 (signed by the governor) extends the bureaus sunset date to Jan. 1, 2029, mandates endowment-care reporting by 2028, and directs a stakeholder work group to study abandoned cemeteries with a report due to the Legislature by July 1, 2027; the committee also reviewed approved regulatory actions for AB 1381 and AB 1560.
The advisory committee was briefed on several legislative and regulatory actions that will affect cemetery and crematory operations in California.
Legislative and regulatory analyst Carolina Sammons summarized Assembly Bill 3254 as the bureaus sunset legislation: it extends the bureaus repeal date to Jan. 1, 2029; requires licensed cemetery authorities to provide specified endowment-care information to the bureau on or before Jan. 1, 2028; and requires the bureau to convene a stakeholder work group and submit a report to the Legislature by July 1, 2027 with options for ensuring continued maintenance of abandoned cemeteries. Sammons also emphasized a statutory requirement that the bureau conserve the endowment-care fund following surrender, cancellation or revocation of a cemetery certificate of authority unless the cemetery is transferred within 90 days.
Gina Sanchez told the committee the sunset bill has been signed by the governor and reiterated that the bureau will need industry, city and county participation for the abandoned‑cemetery work group. She said the change will allow the bureau to conserve endowment funds without first pursuing superior court proceedings, which the bureau described as costly and time‑consuming.
On regulations, the committee heard that the Office of Administrative Law approved amendments related to AB 1381 (which reorganized and clarified apprentice embalmer training rules in Title 16, §1230) and approved regulatory action implementing AB 1560 (statutes of 2023) to allow assignment of a crematory license when ownership changes under specified conditions by relocating crematory license requirements into §2326.01.
Public commenters from the Cemetery and Mortuary Association in California welcomed the sunset extension and urged early research and stakeholder participation to identify abandoned cemeteries and act sooner to protect consumers and historic burials.
What happens next: The bureau said it will publish notices about the stakeholder work group and solicit participation; the endowment care sufficiency study and the abandoned‑cemetery work will inform the bureaus reports to the Legislature.
