House Bill 1409 revises Indiana law governing anatomical gifts and the handling of decedents’ bodies after organ or tissue donation. The bill requires a person who makes an anatomical gift to designate, on a form prescribed by the state board of funeral and cemetery service, the funeral home licensee that will receive custodial care of the body after recovery is complete. That designation must also be submitted to the appropriate procurement organization.
The bill also places new duties on procurement organizations. Before a body is transported or recovery begins, the procurement organization must notify the designated funeral home licensee and provide specified information, including the decedent’s name, time of death, contact information for the person making the designation, and estimated recovery and transfer times. The funeral home licensee must acknowledge receipt of the notice, and all required communications must occur in a reasonable time without interfering with timely organ or tissue recovery.
Impact
HB 1409 amends IC 25-15-9-8 and IC 29-2-16.1 to add a new procedural layer to the anatomical gift process. It affects donors’ families or authorized decision-makers, procurement organizations, coroners, and funeral home licensees by formalizing who will take custody of the body after donation and by requiring advance notice to the funeral home before recovery and transport. The bill also clarifies that body removal and recovery cannot begin until the required designation is submitted, and it adds a new statutory section governing notice and acknowledgment procedures.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition in the materials provided. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears administrative and coordination-focused rather than controversial, with its stated purpose being to improve communication among donation organizations, coroners, and funeral homes. The absence of recorded amendments, testimony, or votes makes the overall sentiment difficult to gauge beyond the bill’s neutral, procedural framing.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the added administrative requirement placed on the person making the anatomical gift and on procurement organizations, since the bill conditions the start of recovery and transport on completion of the new designation and notice process. Funeral homes may view the change as improving predictability and custody transfer, while procurement organizations may be concerned about whether the notice and acknowledgment steps could create delays if not handled quickly. Another possible issue is the balance between timely organ/tissue recovery and the need to coordinate with funeral home custody, but the bill expressly states that communications must not compromise recovery timing.