SB-0651 Summary

• Allows the department to contract with statewide funeral service trade organizations to provide electronic continuing education tracking systems for licensed mortuary science professionals.

• Reduces resident training requirement from 1 year to 180 days for individuals filing initial license applications on or after January 1, 2023, and requires a baccalaureate degree instead of a 3-year mortuary science program for applicants after that date.

• Establishes a continuing education requirement of at least 4 hours per year for mortuary science license holders, with at least 2 hours covering specified topics including embalming, ethics, grief counseling, health and safety, and Michigan law.

• Permits funeral establishments to be operated as business entities (not just sole proprietorships or general partnerships) with an appointed manager holding a mortuary science license, and requires disclosure of all owners, officers, directors, and members to the department.

• Changes funeral establishment ownership or location reporting requirement from "immediately" to "within 30 days" and clarifies that a change in business entity ownership automatically cancels the establishment license.