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 fingerprint submissions for licensure of funeral industry professionals, changing from a completed fingerprint card to a full set of fingerprints, and allows the Department of Public Safety to exchange this data with the FBI.

Current statutes regarding the delivery of deceased bodies to funeral establishments would be updated to include provisions for cremation by licensed cremationists and the designation of a county employee to submit death certificates for registration. The bill also clarifies that the prohibition on unlicensed funeral directing does not apply to county medical examiners supervising cremations. Overall, the bill aims to streamline processes related to the treatment of indigent deceased persons while ensuring compliance with licensing requirements for funeral services.

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