Welcome to the two-hundred-and-thirty-seventh edition of Morticians’ Monday Morning Mashup, 4M #237, where we’ll serve up bite-sized, easily-digestible nuggets of the deathcare news you need to crush conversations in the week ahead. Bon appetit!
Bills, bills, bills
It’s a busy time for state legislators as they push to pass hundreds of bills before deadlines, including many related to various aspects of deathcare. Here’s this week’s update:
- Kentucky: A new law signed last week by Gov. Andy Beshear will require authorities to contact religious communities believed to be associated with a deceased person before cremating unclaimed remains.
- Maryland: A bill that will increase regulatory oversight of pet crematories is awaiting the governor’s signature.
- Oklahoma: A senator is presenting to committee a bill to legalize NOR, while making it “unmistakably clear that the resulting material cannot be used in food production or commercial fertilizer, despite the imaginative rumors making the rounds.”
- South Carolina: A subcommittee has approved an amendment to an existing law to clarify how “unidentified and unclaimed human remains are defined and handled.”
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Straight outta the cemetery
A woman who bought a historic cemetery in Compton, California in order to protect and preserve the space is selling the property after thieves stabbed her three guard dogs, killing one. Despite her valiant efforts, more than 1,600 monuments have been stolen or destroyed since 2023 in addition to thefts of equipment and other materials. In a heartfelt public notice, the owner said “the emotional, financial, and reputational toll has been overwhelming” and after she’s reached her breaking point. She also says she hasn’t received “meaningful support” from local authorities, and has had to endure “verbal attacks” from the community.
Buried in the backyard
A Florida couple has been granted permission to build an above-ground mausoleum on their personal property, despite one commissioner’s concern about what would happen to the structure in 50 or 100 years from now and a question about setting a precedent for other families to do the same. The couple plan to be interred in the structure, and have established a trust for its upkeep.
