No funeral-specific bills moved this week. None will until the state budget passes.
The New York State Budget was due April 1. It is now April 17 -- 16 days past deadline, with no deal in sight. That matters to you for a concrete reason: the spring legislative session runs through June. Every day the legislature stays in budget mode is a day it is not moving bills. When you map that out, the window for S9112, S7690, and A5172 to advance this year is narrowing fast.
Here is the math. If the budget closes this week, there are roughly eight weeks left in session. If it closes in early May, that drops to five or six weeks. Bills need to clear committee, floor vote, the other chamber, and reconciliation -- all in that window. The bills that were already advancing when session opened (S7690, in particular) have a shot. Bills still sitting in committee with no hearing date are long shots.
S7690 (Residency Overhaul, Senate) -- sponsored by Senator Michael Gianaris -- remains the bill to watch. It cleared the Health Committee in February and is sitting in Finance right now. Finance is occupied with budget negotiations. The moment the budget closes, Finance's attention shifts back to standalone legislation, and S7690 is positioned to move.
This bill restructures residency requirements for New York funeral directors. If it advances, it affects how you staff, how you supervise, and what credentials you need in the building for various procedures. If the Finance Committee votes it out, it goes to the Senate floor -- and from there the timeline compresses quickly.
What to do this week:
1. Reach out to your state senator now, before the sprint begins. Calls and emails are most effective before a vote is scheduled, not after. Keep it brief: you are a licensed funeral director in their district, you are watching S 7690, and you want them to know where you stand.
2. Call or email your NYSFDA regional director. Ask whether the association is taking a formal position on S7690 before the Finance vote. An association position matters more in committee than individual contacts, but individual contacts matter on the floor.
3. If you have staff who receive gratuities -- livery drivers, transportation staff -- note that the Department of Labor published a final rule on April 13 clarifying the definition of "qualified tips" for wage purposes. This is a narrow rule, not a Funeral Rule change. If your tipped employees fall close to minimum wage thresholds, have your payroll service review it.
The FTC's public comment period on the Funeral Rule information collection extension closes May 31, 2026. That is 44 days from today.
This is the mechanism by which the FTC renews its authority to require your itemized price lists. It is procedural, but it is not unimportant -- the comment period is the industry's formal opportunity to put concerns about enforcement and compliance burden on the record.
If you have not already asked your state association whether NYSFDA is coordinating a comment submission, do that now. A coordinated industry comment filed by the association carries more weight than individual submissions, and 44 days is enough time to organize one -- but only if someone starts the process this week.
One additional item to note: the Federal Register posted a NAGPRA repatriation notice on April 16 related to cremated remains held by the U.S. Forest Service in Arizona. This is not a regulatory change affecting NY funeral homes. We flag cremation-related Federal Register items in our monitoring sweep, but this one requires no action on your part.
| Bill | Title | Status | Committee | Last Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S9112 | Licensed Funeral Arranger Act | In Senate Committee | Health | Referred to Health (Feb 3) |
| A10095 | Licensed Funeral Arranger Act (Assembly) | In Assembly Committee | Health | Referred to Health (Jan 30) |
| S8152 | 4-Year Apprenticeship (Senate) | STRICKEN | -- | Enacting clause stricken (Jun 9, 2025) |
| A5172 | 4-Year Apprenticeship (Assembly) | In Assembly Committee | Health | Referred to Health (Jan 7) |
| A7630 | Residency Overhaul (Assembly) | In Assembly Committee | Health | Referred to Health (Jan 7) |
| S7690 | Residency Overhaul (Senate) | In Senate Committee | Finance | Reported and committed to Finance (Feb 24) |
On S8152: Dead. The Senate apprenticeship bill had its enacting clause stricken in June 2025 and will not become law in its current form. The Assembly companion, A5172 (Marianne Buttenschon), remains active in Assembly Health.
On S9112/A10095 (Licensed Funeral Arranger Act): These bills would create a new "licensed funeral arranger" credential in New York, allowing non-licensed individuals to meet with families and handle arrangements under a licensed funeral director's supervision. No committee hearing has been scheduled. With the budget consuming the calendar, these are unlikely to see movement until late April at the earliest.
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