One of the weaknesses of Chapter 436, Missouri’s preneed law, is that it provides the State Board few enforcement powers beyond disciplining the preneed seller’s license.  There are plenty of examples of preneed sellers obstructing the State Board’s efforts to obtain preneed records.  At least one resorted to litigation as a delay tactic.  The prospect

With this post we will examine the new “Preneed Audit Fund” that SB32 proposes to create.  Missouri funeral homes are already quite familiar with the state contract fee that was authorized in 2009 by Senate Bill No. 1.  Per that law, the State Board began charging a fee on each preneed contract sold.  That contract

It would seem that the Missouri Legislature has grown impatient with the funeral industry’s efforts to regulate preneed.  New legislation, Senate Bill No. 32, would establish a two tier approach to preneed oversight.  This law would create a threshold whereby the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors would be required to notify the

With this post we are returning to the misstatements made by the Missouri Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association in their May video explaining preneed portability.  At minute 10:18 of the MFDEA video, the association attorney advises that Chapter 436 only allows transfer of preneed contracts to funeral homes licensed by the Missouri State Board.  Employing

Late in 2021, PNC Bank threw in the towel.  After years of litigation and two appeals, PNC Bank agreed to a settlement with the NPS special deputy receiver.  Last month, our Illinois clients began receiving POC notices from the SDR that a portion of their claims for inflation would be honored.  Payment of funeral home

Dear Senator Schatz,

We appreciate that your Senate Appointment Committee has a packed hearing date for April 20th.  So, the Missouri funeral industry not represented by the Missouri Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association requests a single question be asked of Ms. Solon:

If confirmed as executive director of the 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

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

Despite what some may say, the State Board shake up and the termination of its executive director came as a surprise.  But the most surprising move by the Division was the termination of Randall Jennings, the preneed examination supervisor.  The examination supervisor had no role whatsoever in the funeral home inspection process.  Baffled by that