Sec. 2. Findings
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/bill/114/hr/5212/ih/section-2·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds that— there have been shocking consumer abuses in the funeral industry, including scandals at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, Menorah Gardens Cemetery in Palm Beach, Florida, and the Tri State Crematory in Noble, Georgia; funeral arrangements are a major expense for most American households and families; some consumers seek to ease the burdens on their families by arranging and paying for preneed funeral and cemetery arrangements; most funerals are planned by grieving family members at a time when they are especially vulnerable and unlikely to focus on cost comparison; the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Industry Practices Trade Regulation Rule (known as the Funeral Rule) dictates consumer protections in the funeral home, but does not cover the practices of cemeteries, crematoria, or sellers of monuments, urns, or caskets;
State laws are inconsistent and frequently too weak to provide adequate consumer protections, creating a need for minimum Federal standards in this area; consumers have the right to receive clear and accurate information about all funeral goods and funeral services offered for sale; consumers need effective protection from fraud and abusive practices by all providers of funeral goods and funeral services and at all stages of the funeral planning process; and a new Federal law that provides adequate protections to grieving families is warranted.