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<section article="gho" article_name="Health Occupations" number="7-205" title_number="7" title_name="Morticians and Funeral Directors" subtitle_number="2" subtitle_name="State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In addition to the powers and duties set forth elsewhere in this title, the Board has the following powers and duties:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>To adopt bylaws, rules, and regulations to carry out the provisions of this title;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>To adopt a seal;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>To establish procedures for licensing apprentices;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>To keep a list of all individuals currently licensed by the Board;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>To investigate any alleged violation of this title;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>To enforce this title;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>To adopt rules and regulations regarding false and misleading advertising and misrepresentation;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="8">
      <text>To inspect licensed funeral establishments;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="9">
      <text>On receipt of a written and signed complaint, including a referral from the Commissioner of Labor and Industry, to conduct an unannounced inspection of the funeral establishment to determine compliance at that funeral establishment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines on universal precautions;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="10">
      <text>To establish standards for the practice of mortuary science; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="11">
      <text>To establish standards for sanitation and waste disposal in connection with the practice of mortuary science.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The Board may conduct an audit of a licensee that:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Receives pre-need funds;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Places pre-need funds in a trust; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Enters into a pre-need contract.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>The Board shall:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Establish a process for regulating crematories and reduction facilities that provides for:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Registration of crematory operators and reduction operators or issuance of permits for operating crematories and reduction facilities, and renewal;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Applications, including certification of ownership and identification of individuals who will perform cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, or natural organic reduction;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Registration or permit fees;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>Inspections and oversight;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>Grounds for discipline and penalties; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>Complaints and hearings;</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Adopt regulations that:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Implement item (1) of this subsection;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Ensure public health and safety;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Require a registered reduction operator to notify the authorizing agent in writing and before initiating natural organic reduction that a person who uses or disposes of soil remains is subject to § 5–514 of the Health – General Article;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>Require a reduction facility to monitor and record written verification that the temperature during each instance of a natural organic reduction process attains a specified minimum internal equipment temperature for a specified minimum period of time;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>Establish appropriate standards for training and experience for the registration of reduction operators;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>Prohibit the use of natural organic reduction in any instance in which the human remains are known, or reasonably suspected, to be embalmed or to have an infection, disease, or biological condition that renders the process of natural organic reduction or the resulting soil remains unreasonably unsafe, including:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease or other prion disease;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Ebola virus infection;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>The presence of diagnostic or therapeutic radioisotopes; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="5">
          <text>Any other infection, disease, or biological condition identified by the Board based on the reasonable recommendation of a federal, State, or local health authority;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="vii">
        <text>Establish a mandatory contamination testing program for reduction facilities to ensure the safety of soil remains produced, including the following minimum program elements:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Collecting routine material samples from soil remains for analysis using:</text>
        </level>
        <level label="A">
          <text>A reliable sampling methodology; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="B">
          <text>An appropriate frequency of sampling, as recommended or approved by the U.S. Composting Council or another reliable scientific advisory authority;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Recording and retaining the results of an analysis of samples from the soil remains conducted by an independent third–party laboratory to identify the presence of heavy metals or microbial pathogens according to the appropriate contamination parameters for biosolids specified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Title 40 C.F.R. Part 503, Chapter I, Subchapter O;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>Conducting an analysis for each production of soil remains to ensure that the soil remains contain less than 0.01 mg/kg dry weight of specific physical contaminants, which may include intact bone, dental fillings, and medical implants;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>Ensuring that no soil remains are released until the soil remains comply with each of the applicable contamination testing parameters; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="5">
          <text>Periodic reporting of testing results to appropriate State and local health authorities that have requested the results; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="viii">
        <text>Establish any other reasonable prohibition, rule, or requirement the Board determines is necessary to protect the public health and safety during the process of natural organic reduction; and</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Adopt a code of ethics for engaging in the operation of a crematory or reduction facility.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
