BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — Emergency bill HB 1555 could soon change how oversight works for funeral homes and crematoriums in Maryland, a step in the right direction according to industry professionals.
At the same time, they feel like they haven't been a part of the discussion on the law that affects how they run their business.
“I think we're trying to solve a lot of problems very quickly, very rushed,” Chief Operating Officer of the Cremation Society of Maryland Chris Boggs said. “I think it's going to cause more work later on down the road."
Introduced by Baltimore County Delegate Harry Bhandari (D), it passed the house just before crossover and is slated for a hearing in the senate on Thursday.
The legislation was sparked by the concerning investigative findings at Heaven Bound Cremation Services and the lack of accountability it faced by the Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors over several years.
Ambiguous language and additional costs that will raise license fees, and ultimately consumer costs, are among the concerns of Boggs and President of the Cremation Society of Maryland, James Schwartz.
Schwartz believes there are missed opportunities in the bill to make things better for everyone.
“Oversight is good, but it needs to be common sense oversight that makes sure the right people are overseeing the right pieces of the puzzle,” he said.
Schwartz owns both the MacNabb funeral home and Metro Crematory across the street from one another in Baltimore County. Both are regulated under the Board but he believes that shouldn't be the case.
Concerns over crematorium oversight bill
He says it would make more sense for the Office of Cemetery Oversight to oversee all crematoriums, which it already has the capability and legal oversight to do.
After the findings at Heaven Bound came to light, Governor Wes Moore appointed former prosecutor Charles Scheeler to conduct a review of the Board.
In his 30+ page report, Scheeler seems to agree stating “at first glance it would seem to make sense whether consolidating crematory oversight within the jurisdiction of a single board may yield operational efficiencies and avoid confusion."
In his investigation, he found that the OCO regulates five crematories in Maryland while the Board, which has “been plagued by turnover and vacancies in recent years”, oversees 37.
“It's our job to make sure that things are done the proper way, that those families that aren't there to accompany their loved one are handled properly, are taken care of. And that those families know without a shadow of a doubt that they are in fact getting their loved one back,” Boggs said. “That's why the legislation is so important that we need to get it right the first time around."
Because the bill has crossed over, for Schwartz' amendment to make it would require a state senator to introduce it.
In total, Scheeler made 18 recommendations, 4 labeled as “urgent” including the Board should hire a second investigator, Article Section 7-320 (c) that “severely curtails” the Board’s ability to suspend or revoke licenses should be repealed and inspections for establishments on probation should be increased.
He also recommended that the governor should select the board president.
