Bill Text: NY S02787 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Relates to the commercial display of human remains; requires the department of health to implement a permit process for anyone displaying human remains for payment or other consideration; exempts remains more than 100 years old, consisting solely of human hair or teeth, part of the ordinary display at a funeral establishment or memorial, an object of religious veneration, consisting solely of bodies transported into and remaining in the state for display prior to the effective date of this section, in the possession of a museum facility or those remains represented by an entity that has displayed human remains in the state for at least three of the last ten years whether or not such display was in operation at the time of the effective date of this article.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-06-08 - referred to health [S02787 Detail]
Download: New_York-2015-S02787-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2787--A Cal. No. 867 2015-2016 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 29, 2015 ___________ Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health -- recommitted to the Committee on Health in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged and said bill committed to the Committee on Rules -- ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retain- ing its place in the order of third reading AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to the commercial display of human remains The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature finds and declares 2 that: 3 1. Article 43 of the public health law requires any donor and speci- 4 fied authorized individuals to authorize the use of anatomical gifts for 5 transplantation, therapy, research, and education purposes. 6 2. Every city, county, or state official responsible for the remains 7 of unclaimed dead bodies is required to use due diligence to notify the 8 relatives of the decedent. 9 3. The public display of human remains must be regulated to protect 10 individual bodily integrity, as well as the social and cultural values 11 of the state. 12 4. It is the intent of the legislature to require persons who partic- 13 ipate in the public display of human remains for commercial purposes to 14 provide evidence of informed consent from the decedent or relatives of 15 all humans whose remains are put on display, and to provide for the 16 continued use of human remains in the educational, medical, and scien- 17 tific communities to promote human health and safety. 18 § 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new article 43-C to 19 read as follows: 20 ARTICLE 43-C 21 COMMERCIAL DISPLAY OF HUMAN REMAINS EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD04888-02-6S. 2787--A 2 1 Section 4380. Definitions. 2 4381. Commercial display of human remains. 3 4382. Permit. 4 4383. Application. 5 § 4380. Definitions. As used in this article, the following terms 6 shall have the following meanings: 7 1. "Commercial purposes" means either: 8 (a) A display for which the public is charged a fee or other consider- 9 ation as a condition of viewing; or 10 (b) A display for which an exhibitor accepts payment or other consid- 11 eration. 12 2. "Exhibitor" means a person or entity who shows or puts on, or 13 contracts to show or put on, a temporary public display of human 14 remains. 15 3. "Museum facility" means a public or private nonprofit institution 16 that is accredited by the American Association of Museums or is a part 17 of an accredited college or university, and that is organized on a 18 permanent basis for essentially educational or aesthetic purposes and 19 that owns or uses tangible objects, cares for those objects, and exhib- 20 its them to the general public on a regular basis. 21 § 4381. Commercial display of human remains. 1. Except as provided in 22 subdivision two of this section, a person shall not display human 23 remains to the public for commercial purposes without first obtaining a 24 permit issued by the department as required by section forty-three 25 hundred eighty-two of this article. 26 2. Subdivision one of this section shall not apply to a display of 27 human remains that is any of the following: 28 (a) More than one hundred years old; 29 (b) Consisting solely of human teeth or hair; 30 (c) Part of the ordinary display or viewing of the deceased at a 31 funeral establishment or part of a similar funeral or memorial service; 32 (d) An object of religious veneration; 33 (e) Consisting solely of bodies transported into and remaining in the 34 state for display prior to the effective date of this section; 35 (f) In the possession of a museum facility; or 36 (g) A display of human remains that is represented by an entity that 37 has displayed human remains in the state for at least three of the last 38 ten years whether or not such display was in operation at the time of 39 the effective date of this article. 40 However, if the museum facility paid or offered other consideration to 41 an exhibitor to display the remains, and the remains are not exempt from 42 this section pursuant to paragraphs (a) through (d) of this subdivision, 43 the exhibitor shall be required to obtain a permit pursuant to section 44 forty-three hundred eighty-two of this article. 45 3. Any person who violates this section shall be subject to a civil 46 penalty of an amount that does not exceed five thousand dollars for each 47 violation. 48 § 4382. Permit. The department shall establish a permit program under 49 this article. A permit may be issued to any person for the purpose 50 described in section forty-three hundred eighty-one of this article only 51 upon a determination by the department that the person has provided 52 valid written authorization to display human remains for consideration 53 from any of the following individuals: 54 1. The decedent, including, but not limited to, authorization given by 55 will;S. 2787--A 3 1 2. Any person authorized to make an anatomical gift under article 2 forty-three of this chapter. 3 § 4383. Application. Nothing in this article shall be construed to 4 apply to the utilization of human remains in a manner that meets the 5 purposes set forth in article forty-three of this chapter relating to 6 anatomical gifts. 7 § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 8 have become a law. Effective immediately the commissioner of the depart- 9 ment of health is authorized to promulgate any and all rules and regu- 10 lations and take any other measures necessary to implement this act on 11 its effective date, on or before such date.
