Senate Bill 8152, the four-year apprenticeship alternative to mortuary school, has been stricken. The enacting clause was removed on June 9, 2025, and the bill was recommitted. It is off the active calendar.
This means S8152 will not receive a committee hearing, will not go to a vote, and cannot become law in its current form.
What happened:The bill lost momentum before it could gain a committee hearing. Senator Leroy Comrie (D-Queens), the sponsor, did not advance it through the Health Committee. No public hearing was ever scheduled. The "enacting clause stricken" designation means the legislature formally withdrew the bill's operative language.
Why this matters for your funeral home:If you were counting on the apprenticeship pathway to help with hiring -- especially in rural areas where mortuary school is not nearby -- that route is on hold. The current education requirements remain in place. If you are training someone informally now, they still need to complete an accredited mortuary science program to get licensed.
But the idea is not dead:The Assembly companion bill, A5172 (sponsored by Marianne Buttenschon), is still in the Assembly Health Committee as of this week. It was referred there on January 7, 2026. If the apprenticeship concept is going to survive, it will be through A5172.
What to do:1. If you support the apprenticeship pathway, contact your Assembly member and ask them to support A5172. The Senate version failed partly because it had no organized support behind it. 2. If you have staff who would benefit from the apprenticeship route, keep them on your radar. This concept is likely to return. 3. Watch this space. We will report if A5172 gets a hearing or gains co-sponsors.
| Bill | Title | Status | Committee | Last Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S9112 | Licensed Funeral Arranger Act | In Senate Committee | Health | Referred to Health (Feb 3) |
| A10095 | Licensed Funeral Arranger (Assembly) | In Assembly Committee | Health | Referred to Health (Jan 30) |
| S8152 | 4-Year Apprenticeship | STRICKEN | -- | Enacting clause stricken (Jun 9) |
| A5172 | 4-Year Apprenticeship (Assembly) | In Assembly Committee | Health | Referred to Health (Jan 7) |
| A7630 | Residency Overhaul | In Assembly Committee | Health | Referred to Health (Jan 7) |
| S7690 | Residency Overhaul (Senate) | In Senate Committee | Finance | Reported and committed to Finance (Feb 24) |
The Federal Trade Commission filed three separate Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) notices in the Federal Register between January 23 and February 6, 2026, all related to funeral industry data collection.
These are not rule changes. PRA notices are about the FTC's authority to collect information from funeral homes under the existing Funeral Rule. But three notices in six weeks is unusual activity.
What they're doing:The FTC is renewing and extending its information collection authority under the Funeral Rule. This covers the data they gather during compliance checks -- General Price Lists, casket price lists, outer burial container price lists, and documentation of itemized statements.
What this signals:When the FTC extends its collection authority, it typically means they plan to use it. Combined with the 2024 Funeral Rule amendments (effective July 2024), this suggests the FTC is gearing up for a new round of compliance reviews.
What to do:Pull your General Price List right now. Check that every item, every price, and every required disclosure matches current FTC requirements. The July 2024 amendments added new requirements around price transparency. If your GPL has not been updated since then, fix it this week.
As we reported in Issue #1, new Bureau Director Stephanie Gilman has staffed up the office and set up remote operations so inspectors can travel the state. This means homes that have not seen an inspector in years should expect a visit.
Based on the November 2025 Comptroller Audit, expect inspectors to focus on:1. Walk your prep room. Check chemical labels, OSHA sheets, ventilation. If an inspector walks in tomorrow, would you be comfortable? 2. Pull 5 random pre-need files. Are they complete? Is the trust account properly documented? 3. Compare your posted GPL to your actual pricing. Any discrepancies need to be fixed before an inspector finds them.
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