Bill Text: NY A03538 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Requires cemetery corporations to post and provide customers with the New York state cemetery disclosure form.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-4)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2014-06-19 - REFERRED TO RULES [A03538 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-A03538-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         3538
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   January 28, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M. of A. WEISENBERG, COLTON, MILLMAN, ROBINSON, CYMBROW-
         ITZ, COOK, RAIA -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M.  of  A.  BARRON,  BRENNAN,
         HOOPER,  JAFFEE,  MAISEL,  MARKEY,  McKEVITT,  PERRY, RABBITT, RIVERA,
         TITONE -- read once and referred to  the  Committee  on  Corporations,
         Authorities and Commissions
       AN  ACT  to  amend  the not-for-profit corporation law, in relation to a
         cemetery customer's bill of rights
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  Section  1510  of  the  not-for-profit corporation law is
    2  amended by adding a new paragraph (n) to read as follows:
    3    (N) POSTING AND  DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  CEMETERY  CUSTOMER'S  BILL  OF
    4  RIGHTS. (1) THE CEMETERY CUSTOMER'S BILL OF RIGHTS SHALL BE CONSPICUOUS-
    5  LY  POSTED  BY  THE  CORPORATION IN EACH OF ITS OFFICES. A COPY SHALL BE
    6  PROVIDED TO EACH PERSON AT THE BEGINNING OF ANY FACE-TO-FACE  DISCUSSION
    7  ABOUT  ARRANGING  FOR AN INTERMENT OR PURCHASING INTERMENT RIGHTS OR ANY
    8  OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES OFFERED BY THE CEMETERY.   ADDITIONALLY, A  COPY
    9  OF SUCH BILL OF RIGHTS SHALL BE GIVEN TO ANY PERSON UPON REQUEST.
   10    (2) THE CEMETERY CUSTOMER'S BILL OF RIGHTS SHALL BE ESSENTIALLY IN THE
   11  FOLLOWING FORM.
   12                      CEMETERY CUSTOMER'S BILL OF RIGHTS
   13    ALL  NEW  YORK  CEMETERIES  ARE  NOT-FOR-PROFIT.  THIS CEMETERY (NAME,
   14  ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER) IS REGULATED BY THE  NYS  DIVISION  OF  CEME-
   15  TERIES.  THE  NEAREST  OFFICE IS LOCATED AT: (ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER,
   16  E-MAIL ADDRESS).
   17    WHEN YOU BUY CEMETERY PROPERTY, YOU ARE BUYING THE RIGHT TO INTERMENT,
   18  NOT AN ACTUAL PIECE OF LAND. WHEN YOU SELL CEMETERY  PROPERTY,  IT  MUST
   19  FIRST  BE  OFFERED  BACK TO THE CEMETERY. THE MINIMUM PRICE THE CEMETERY
   20  MUST PAY TO BUY BACK THE PROPERTY IS SET BY LAW. YOU CAN ALSO GIFT  YOUR
   21  RIGHT TO INTERMENT IF YOU ARE THE LOT OWNER.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD07573-01-3
       A. 3538                             2
    1    YOU  CAN  BE DENIED THE RIGHT TO INTERMENT ONLY FOR NON-PAYMENT OF THE
    2  TOTAL PURCHASE PRICE, NON-PAYMENT OF INTERMENT PRICE OR NON-PAYMENT OF A
    3  TAX AUTHORIZED BY THE CEMETERY BOARD.
    4    THOUGH  NEW  YORK  LAW DOES REQUIRE THAT A CONTAINER OR WRAPPINGS USED
    5  FOR CREMATION BE NON-METAL, IT DOES NOT REQUIRE EMBALMING FOR  INTERMENT
    6  (BURIAL,  ENTOMBMENT  OR PLACEMENT OF CREMAINS IN A NICHE OR GRAVE). NEW
    7  YORK LAW DOES NOT LIMIT THE NUMBER OF CREMATION URNS THAT CAN BE  PLACED
    8  IN  A  GRAVE.  NEW YORK LAW ALSO DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY PARTICULAR TYPE OF
    9  CASKET OR EXTERNAL WRAPPINGS FOR BURIAL  OR  PLACEMENT  IN  A  MAUSOLEUM
   10  CRYPT. NOR DOES IT RESTRICT THE TYPE OF CONTAINER USED TO PLACE ASHES IN
   11  A NICHE OR GRAVE.
   12    NEW  YORK  LAW  REQUIRES  THAT  RULES AND REGULATIONS OF A CEMETERY BE
   13  REASONABLE AND THAT THEY HAVE WRITTEN CEMETERY BOARD APPROVAL. NEW  YORK
   14  LAW  REQUIRES THAT A WRITTEN CONTRACT FOR THE SALE OR USE OF A LOT, PLOT
   15  OR PART THEREOF SHALL HAVE ATTACHED THERETO AND MADE A  PART  THEREOF  A
   16  COPY  OF  THE  RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE CEMETERY CORPORATION OR SUCH
   17  PARTS OF SUCH RULES AND REGULATIONS AS RELATE TO THE SIZE AND  PLACEMENT
   18  OF MONUMENTS, RESTRICTIONS ON PLOT USAGE, WARRANTIES, OBLIGATIONS OF THE
   19  CEMETERY  CORPORATION  AND  FINANCIAL  OBLIGATIONS AND DUTIES OF THE LOT
   20  OWNER.
   21    YOU HAVE THE RIGHT:
   22    1. TO A COPY OF THE CURRENT LIST OF PRICES AND CHARGES OF THE CEMETERY
   23  FOR A SMALL FEE.
   24    2. TO HAVE INCLUDED IN YOUR PURCHASE CONTRACT AND  DEED  ANY  CEMETERY
   25  BOARD  APPROVED RESTRICTIONS ON THE TYPE OF CONTAINER USED FOR BURIAL OR
   26  PLACEMENT OF ASHES IN A NICHE OR GRAVE.
   27    3. TO HAVE INCLUDED IN YOUR PURCHASE CONTRACT AND  DEED  ANY  CEMETERY
   28  BOARD  APPROVED  REQUIREMENTS  FOR  MAUSOLEUM  CRYPT  ENTOMBMENT SUCH AS
   29  EMBALMING, SPECIAL CASKETS OR IN-CRYPT BAGS OR TRAYS.
   30    4. TO HAVE INCLUDED IN YOUR PURCHASE CONTRACT AND  DEED  ANY  CEMETERY
   31  BOARD  APPROVED  RESTRICTIONS ON THE TYPE OF MONUMENT OR MARKER THAT CAN
   32  BE PLACED ON THE GRAVE, NICHE OR MAUSOLEUM CRYPT.
   33    5. TO BE NOTIFIED OF ANY RULES, RESTRICTIONS OR CHARGES THAT APPLY  TO
   34  MARKERS OR MONUMENTS PURCHASED ELSEWHERE.
   35    6.  TO  FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT "PERPETUAL CARE" MEANS INCLUDING WHETHER
   36  IT IS REQUIRED OR OPTIONAL.
   37    7. YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO  HAVE  ALL  CONTRACTS  INCLUDING  PURCHASE  AND
   38  PERPETUAL CARE CONTRACTS REVIEWED BY A LAWYER BEFORE SIGNING.
   39    8.  TO  CHOOSE  A  CONCRETE  LINER,  IF  AN  OUTER BURIAL CONTAINER IS
   40  REQUIRED FOR BURIAL IN A GRAVE PURCHASED AFTER 1/1/85. THIS  REQUIREMENT
   41  MUST BE WAIVED FOR RELIGIOUS REASONS.
   42    9. TO HAVE MONEY PAID FOR A GRAVE LINER PRE-NEED HELD IN TRUST.
   43    10.  TO BE NOTIFIED OF ANY RESTRICTIONS AND CHARGES RELATIVE TO PLANT-
   44  INGS.
   45    S 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth  day  after  it  shall
   46  have become a law.
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