DE SB65

Restructures the Board of Funeral Services' primary objective to protect the public from unsafe practices and anti-competitive conduct, with secondary objectives including professional competency standards, complaint monitoring, formal hearings, rule promulgation, and sanctions.

Adds new definitions for embalming, embalming room assistants, and students of mortuary science; clarifies that funeral directors must file death certificates as required by law.

Establishes new licensure requirements including fingerprinting and criminal background checks through the State Bureau of Identification and FBI; allows waiver of criminal convictions if more than 5 years have passed for felonies with conditions met.

Creates regulations for funeral establishment permits, cremation procedures (including rigid, leak-resistant container requirements), and handling of unclaimed/abandoned cremated remains (must maintain records and may dispose after 12 months of abandonment).

Prohibits out-of-state entities from brokering funeral services without a Delaware-licensed funeral director; increases monetary penalties for violations from $500 to $1,000 per violation; and requires Board adoption of an inspection program for funeral establishments and crematoriums.