By: Patterson (Senate Sponsor - Blanco) H.B. No. 587
         (In the Senate - Received from the House April 18, 2023;
  April 19, 2023, read first time and referred to Committee on
  Veteran Affairs; May 10, 2023, reported favorably by the following
  vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 10, 2023, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
 
 
  COMMITTEE VOTE
 
 
         YeaNayAbsentPNV
         HancockX
         ParkerX
         BlancoX
         EckhardtX
         GutierrezX
         HallX
         SparksX
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to the cremation of deceased veterans with a United States
  flag or Texas state flag and the incineration of those flags through
  the cremation process.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 716.001, Health and Safety Code, is
  amended by amending Subdivision (4) and adding Subdivision (16) to
  read as follows:
               (4)  "Cremated remains" means the recoverable human
  remains after the completion of the cremation process. The term may
  include the residue of any nonhuman matter cremated with the
  deceased human body including casket material, bridgework,
  eyeglasses, the United States flag or state flag, or other
  material.
               (16)  "Veteran" means an individual who:
                     (A)  has served in:
                           (i)  the army, navy, air force, coast guard,
  or marine corps of the United States;
                           (ii)  the state military forces as defined
  by Section 431.001, Government Code; or
                           (iii)  an auxiliary service of one of those
  branches of the armed forces; and
                     (B)  has been honorably discharged from the branch
  of the service in which the individual served.
         SECTION 2.  Section 716.002, Health and Safety Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 716.002.  CREMATION RULES. (a) The commission may
  adopt rules consistent with this chapter and Chapter 651,
  Occupations Code, to govern the cremation of human remains.
         (b)  The rules must:
               (1)  allow a veteran to be cremated with the United
  States flag or state flag at the request of the veteran or the
  veteran's authorizing agent; and
               (2)  ensure that incineration of the United States flag
  or state flag with a veteran is in accordance with 4 U.S.C. Section
  8 and Chapter 3100, Government Code, as applicable.
         SECTION 3.  Section 716.052(a), Health and Safety Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  A cremation authorization form must:
               (1)  identify the deceased person and the time and date
  of death;
               (2)  include the name and address of the funeral
  director or other person that contracted to provide for the
  cremation;
               (3)  identify the authorizing agent and the
  relationship between the authorizing agent and the deceased person;
               (4)  include a statement by the authorizing agent that:
                     (A)  the authorizing agent has the right to
  authorize the cremation of the deceased person and is not aware of
  any person with a superior or equal priority right; or
                     (B)  if another person has an equal priority right
  to authorize cremation, the authorizing agent:
                           (i)  has made all reasonable efforts but
  failed to contact that person and believes the person would not
  object to the cremation; and
                           (ii)  agrees to indemnify and hold harmless
  the funeral establishment and the crematory establishment for any
  liability arising from performing the cremation without the
  person's authorization;
               (5)  authorize the crematory establishment to cremate
  the human remains;
               (6)  declare that to their knowledge the human remains
  do not contain a pacemaker or any other material or implant that may
  potentially be hazardous or cause damage to the cremation chamber
  or the person performing the cremation;
               (7)  include the name of the funeral establishment or
  other person authorized to receive the cremated remains from the
  crematory establishment;
               (8)  detail the manner of permanent disposition of the
  cremated remains, if known;
               (9)  list any items of value delivered to the crematory
  establishment along with the human remains and include instructions
  on the handling of the items;
               (10)  specify whether the authorizing agent has
  arranged for a viewing of the deceased person or service with the
  deceased person present before cremation and the date and time of
  the viewing or service; [and]
               (11)  include a space for the authorizing agent to
  request that a deceased person who is a veteran be cremated with the
  United States flag or state flag; and
               (12)  include the signature of the authorizing agent
  attesting to the accuracy of all representations contained on the
  cremation authorization form.
         SECTION 4.  Subchapter D, Chapter 716, Health and Safety
  Code, is amended by adding Section 716.157 to read as follows:
         Sec. 716.157.  INCINERATION OF UNITED STATES FLAG OR STATE
  FLAG THROUGH CREMATION PROCESS. (a) A crematory establishment may
  incinerate through the cremation process and separately from human
  remains one or more United States flags or state flags at the
  request of any person. A crematory establishment may only
  incinerate a flag during the week preceding and the week after the
  following national holidays:
               (1)  Memorial Day;
               (2)  Flag Day; and
               (3)  Independence Day.
         (b)  The commission shall adopt rules necessary to implement
  this section. The rules must:
               (1)  establish guidelines on:
                     (A)  crematory sanitation;
                     (B)  the release of ashes from an incinerated
  United States flag or state flag to the person who requested
  incineration of the flag; and
                     (C)  the disposal of ashes from an incinerated
  flag; and
               (2)  ensure that incineration of the flag is in
  accordance with 4 U.S.C. Section 8 and Chapter 3100, Government
  Code, as applicable.
         SECTION 5.  As soon as practicable after the effective date
  of this Act, the Texas Funeral Service Commission shall adopt rules
  necessary to implement the changes in law made by this Act.
         SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
 
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