ND HB1338

Amends North Dakota Century Code section 23-06-03 to replace "duty of burying" with "duty of final disposition" and updates the priority order of individuals responsible for arranging disposition of a deceased person's remains.

Establishes a priority hierarchy beginning with individuals designated by the deceased, followed by surviving spouse, adult children (by majority), parents, siblings, grandchildren, grandparents, nieces and nephews, former guardians, and others in order of kinship.

Allows funeral directors and morticians to rely on instructions from representatives claiming to be sole survivors or constitute a majority without actual knowledge to the contrary.

Sets minimum burial service charges at $1,500 for indigent individuals, including transportation, grave box or vault, grave space, and grave opening and closing; allows county boards to negotiate with funeral homes and provide military caskets for veterans.

Requires county social service boards to arrange final disposition within fifteen days for deceased individuals without surviving family members or financial means, and specifies that decedent's instructions regarding disposition must be honored to the extent reasonable and possible.