SB 1108 revises Missouri’s cemetery statutes to add and clarify definitions and to regulate a new category of “human and pet cemetery.” The bill repeals and reenacts sections 214.270 and 214.389 and adds a new section 214.272. It updates many existing cemetery-related definitions, including burial space, endowed care, escrow account, cemetery operator, and related terms, while also expressly defining a human and pet cemetery as a tract where both human remains and the remains of animals may be interred and memorialized under the cemetery’s rules.
The bill provides that a human and pet cemetery is to be treated as a cemetery for purposes of licensing and endowed care requirements. It also strengthens enforcement provisions for endowed care trust funds and escrow accounts by allowing the division to suspend distributions when an operator lacks a current license, fails to file annual reports, or has a verified deficiency after audit or examination and fails to submit a corrective action plan. The bill sets notice, cure, appeal, and reinstatement procedures, and authorizes the division to adopt rules to implement these changes.
Impact
SB 1108 would amend Missouri’s cemetery law in Chapter 214 by expanding statutory definitions and bringing human-and-pet burial grounds within the state’s cemetery licensing and endowed care framework. It would also affect cemetery operators, trustees, financial institutions, and escrow agents by giving the division of professional registration authority to halt distributions from trust or escrow accounts under specified compliance failures, while preserving appeal rights and limiting what counts as a deficiency.
Sentiment
The available context suggests the bill is primarily administrative and regulatory in nature, with no recorded committee transcript or vote history showing opposition or support. Based on the bill text, the measure appears aimed at modernizing cemetery regulation and clarifying oversight rather than making a controversial policy shift. The absence of recorded debate or votes indicates no documented public controversy in the materials provided.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are the inclusion of human and pet cemeteries within the cemetery regulatory scheme and the division’s authority to suspend distributions from endowed care trusts or escrow accounts. Cemetery operators may be concerned about added compliance obligations, licensing treatment, and the risk of suspended funds, while the bill also protects operators by requiring notice, a 60-day cure period, and appeal rights. Financial institutions and escrow agents are also directly affected because they must comply with suspension orders and are shielded from liability for doing so.
Modifies provisions relating to judicial proceedings, including intervention in actions involving abortion and the composition of the Western and Southern Districts of the Court of Appeals