With Governor Parson withdrawing all four of his Missouri Funeral Board appointments, the industry is asking what will happen next. The Governor’s office had been watching the festering dispute between the Division and the State Board, but was unsure whether the industry cared. While the MFDEA’s support for the Division acting director was undeniable,
state board of embalmers and funeral directors
Setting the Record Straight: Opposition to the Missouri Division of Professional Registration
When an Association Press story broke a few months ago, the MFDEA response was to suggest that the reporter had been influenced by individuals who were anti-Governor Parson and anti-Division. But the reality is that funeral directors opposed to Ms. Solon’s actions are supporters of Governor Parson. Multiple parties reached out to the Governor to…
Setting the Record Straight: The Inspection Dispute
MFDEA members like one past president have written to the Governor to commend the Division acting director for having put an end to the State Board’s “photographic surveillance” of funeral homes. This past president of MFDEA stated that instead of actually inspecting the funeral home, the Board inspectors were taking pictures which were then reviewed…
Setting the Record Straight: Derailing Missouri Preneed Reform
In this post we are breaking a rule that we have followed since the startup of the blog: maintaining the anonymity of a source. In our post Derailing Missouri Preneed Reform we referred to our source as having an irrefutable reputation within the industry. Those who follow this blog instantly understood that the statement had…
Setting the Record Straight: Preneed Audits will be Delayed Until Further Notice
In an earlier post we reported how the acting director for the Division of Professional Registration advised the Governor that State Board changes were needed to be made “to increase efficiency and fiscal responsibility.” Improvements were needed, “especially with inspections and financial examinations”, and that there could be potential cost savings of $200,000. In a…
Setting the Record Straight: The Autonomy given State Boards
An issue lost in the debate whether to confirm the Gubernatorial appointments of Sheila Solon and four members to the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors is the autonomy granted to state boards by the Missouri Legislature through RSMo. Section 324.001.11. Through subsections (3) and (4) the Legislature limits the Division of Professional Registration’s…
The Missouri Gottcha Board: A Speed Bump to Fiscal Responsibility
This past August we received an email from the Gottcha Board asking about availability to attend a closed meeting call. Anticipating a client was in trouble, we responded that we would accommodate the Board’s request. However, the Board’s purpose for the call was to make an inquiry about representation to resolve the dispute with the…
Missouri’s Gottcha Board: Drilling Deeper
This past Friday morning, news outlets across the country picked up an Associated Press story regarding Governor Parson’s October ouster of Missouri’s Gottcha Board. (For those not familiar with the Missouri State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, the tag “Gottcha Board” was first given to the Board in 2020 by the Missouri Funeral…
Missouri’s Division of Professional Registration: Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire
The State of Missouri seems hell-bent on creating work for Jefferson City attorneys. As we reported earlier this summer (You were Warned!), the Division of Professional Registration blundered in its first move to control how the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors conducts inspections of funeral homes. Since then, the Division has…
Missouri Funeral Home Inspections and Pictures: You Were Warned!
A festering dispute between Missouri’s State Funeral Board and funeral directors association came to a head in a public conference call today. The State Board scheduled the meeting in response to its parent agency (the Division of Professional Registration) blocking the Board’s hiring of an investigator. The Board held the meeting to discuss what actions…