The proposed bill, if enacted, would amend several sections of the Arizona Revised Statutes related to the handling of deceased persons, particularly focusing on the responsibilities of county medical examiners. It would allow county medical examiners or alternate medical examiners to retain the bodies of indigent deceased persons and supervise their cremation at county-owned crematories. Additionally, the bill modifies the requirements for funeral industry professionals, including the submission of fingerprints for background checks, changing from a completed fingerprint card to a full set of fingerprints. It also allows for the exchange of fingerprint data with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Furthermore, the bill introduces new provisions that require the director of the county's health department to designate an employee to submit death certificates for registration when the county medical examiner supervises cremation. It also clarifies that the prohibition against unlicensed funeral directing does not apply to county medical examiners overseeing cremations of indigent persons. Overall, the bill aims to streamline processes related to the cremation of indigent deceased persons and update the regulatory framework for funeral industry professionals.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 13-2910
Senate Engrossed Version: 11-251
House Engrossed Version: 11-594, 11-600, 32-1321, 32-1343, 32-1383, 32-1394.01, 32-1395, 11-593, 28-668, 13-1210, 36-670, 11-251.08, 15-1401, 36-831, 32-1393, 36-113, 36-325, 32-1309, 41-1750, 92-544, 41-1093.04