HB2174 creates a new “assistant funeral director” license under the Oklahoma Funeral Services Licensing Act. The bill defines an assistant funeral director as an employee of a licensed funeral director-in-charge who is delegated certain funeral directing duties, such as conducting funeral services, making funeral arrangements, and making interments. The State Board is given discretion to issue the license, and each funeral director-in-charge may have only one assistant funeral director registered under them.
To qualify, an applicant must be at least 18 years old, complete at least 60 semester hours from a regionally accredited college or university, pass the Oklahoma Funeral Board law examination, and demonstrate good moral character, trustworthiness, and community standing. The bill also requires annual renewal, sets the license to expire each December 31, and requires continuing education under existing funeral board rules. Assistant funeral directors would remain under the supervision and control of the licensed funeral director under whom they are registered, and their licenses could be suspended, revoked, or denied under the same general grounds that apply to funeral directors.
The bill also amends the Funeral Services Licensing Act fee schedule to add a $250 fee for the new assistant funeral director license, while preserving the Board’s authority to set fees by rule for licenses, registrations, examinations, renewals, and certain administrative services. Existing provisions on late renewal penalties, disposition fees tied to death certificate filings, and examination confidentiality remain in place. The act would take effect November 1, 2025.
The bill’s impact is to expand Oklahoma’s funeral service licensing structure by creating a new regulated role between apprentice and fully licensed funeral director, while giving the Funeral Board additional authority to register, supervise, discipline, and renew this new class of licensee. It affects funeral directors-in-charge, funeral establishments, applicants seeking entry into the profession, and the Board’s fee and disciplinary processes.
There is little recorded debate or voting history in the available materials, so overall sentiment appears neutral and procedural rather than contentious. The main policy choices embedded in the bill are the Board’s discretion to issue the license, the educational threshold, and the relatively high $250 fee, but no specific opposition or support was documented in the provided context.
HB2174 would amend Title 59’s Funeral Services Licensing Act to create a new assistant funeral director license, establish qualifications and supervision requirements, and add a specific fee for that license. It would also reinforce the Oklahoma Funeral Board’s authority over registration, renewal, discipline, and fee-setting for funeral service licenses, while leaving existing rules for apprentices, funeral directors, embalmers, and establishments largely intact.
No committee transcript or vote record is provided, and the bill’s available history shows only referral to Rules after second reading. Based on the text alone, the measure appears administrative and professional-regulatory in nature, with no clear evidence of strong controversy or organized opposition in the materials provided.
The main points that could generate discussion are the Board’s discretion to approve licenses, the requirement that applicants have 60 college credit hours, the limit of one assistant funeral director per funeral director-in-charge, and the $250 license fee. The bill also allows felony convictions to be considered but not treated as an automatic bar, which may be a point of concern or support depending on views about occupational licensing and rehabilitation.