The Board of Funeral Services met in a full board meeting to discuss a few topics that may interest many of you. The first and probably most important is the change to the Rule that is necessitated by the passage of SB 244 (student intern bill). While the law went into effect in July of 2023, the board had not taken action to update the rules package governing this law, until now. An updated rules package was introduced and adopted by the board. You will want to familiarize yourself with these changes once they are available. Notably, there is now a 2,000-hour mandate for interns that must be satisfied before they may obtain a mortician license. While the case counts remain the same at 25 embalmings and 25 arrangements, an intern must now also work 2,000 hours prior to licensing as a mortician. Interns will continue to have three years to complete. Changes to supervisor requirements have also been made.
Also discussed were additional forms of disposition such as alkaline hydrolysis and natural organic reduction. While the board was open to moving forward with legislative changes, the Department of Labor does not see that the changes would be ready for a 2025 legislative session, pushing this item out until 2027 or further unless the public wants to move things forward.
A final note: The Board of Funeral Services is looking to schedule the next meeting in July. There are two positions on the board that need to be filled. The public member position remains unfilled, and my mortician position will be vacated on July 1. Anyone interested in applying can do so online by clicking this link.
https://governor.mt.gov/boards_appointments/ApplyNow
Before you get started, here are a few things you will need to upload (PDF versions are preferred):
- An up-to-date resume.
- A cover letter for the specific board position.
- Optional — letters of recommendation.*
*Letters of recommendation can be provided after you have applied. Please direct letters to boards@mt.gov.
