BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1591

By: Leach

Land & Resource Management

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Under current law, a columbarium may be located only in cemeteries or at churches,  colleges, or universities. However, a funeral home cannot have a columbarium on site, as those establishments are regulated under the same standard as a cemetery and therefore cannot be operated within city limits. C.S.H.B. 1591 seeks to allow a licensed funeral establishment to have a columbarium on site by exempting those establishments from these cemetery‑related location regulations.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1591 amends the Health and Safety Code to exempt a licensed funeral establishment that entombs only cremated remains in a columbarium on the premises of the establishment from certain cemetery location restrictions.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 1591 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes a specification not in the original that the exemption applies to licensed funeral establishments that entomb only cremated remains in a columbarium on the premises of the establishment.