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Funeral directors' fees to rise to restore board self‑sufficiency, agency says
Summary
Department staff told the committee the proposed fee increases for the Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers are the board's first since 2002 and are designed to make the board self‑sufficient through at least 2032; the committee gave the rule a positive recommendation despite some dissent on the pace of increases.
Department of Commerce and Insurance staff told the Government Operations committee the Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers needs a fee increase to meet statutory self‑sufficiency targets.
"The proposed fees will allow the board to remain self sufficient through at least 2032," Reed Witcher said, adding that the change aligns with committee guidance on amount and timing. Witcher said the board has not raised fees since 2002 and had previously decreased fees twice, most recently in 2018.
A committee member raised concerns about sudden large increases for small businesses and asked whether a phased approach (smaller increases more frequently) would be more manageable. Witcher replied that the committee's guidance requires fee increases only when programs meet specific fiscal distress criteria and that this is the first fiscal year the board met those criteria; the current filing projects solvency across multiple licensure cycles and therefore was not structured as staged, smaller increases.
The committee voted to move the rule forward. The clerk's roll call in the senate recorded five ayes and two noes; the house voice vote carried.
Why it matters: the increase affects funeral directors and embalmers that are licensed through the state board and is intended to ensure the board can meet its obligations without subsidy.
What’s next: the measure was moved out of committee with a positive recommendation and will continue through legislative review.
