# Georgia SB 241: Funeral Directors; organic human reduction as a means of disposing of deceased human bodies; provide Georgia SB 241, Funeral Directors; organic human reduction as a means of disposing of deceased human bodies; provide, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Lee Anderson (Republican), Derek Mallow (Democrat), Elena Parent (Democrat) and 2 others; status signed, last action 2025-07-01 (Effective Date); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB241-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Georgia SB 241 - State: Georgia - Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session - Title: Funeral Directors; organic human reduction as a means of disposing of deceased human bodies; provide - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-02-21 - Last action: 2025-07-01, Effective Date - Sponsors: Lee Anderson (Republican), Derek Mallow (Democrat), Elena Parent (Democrat), Randy Robertson (Republican), Rick Williams (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Regulated Industries, Regulated Industries and Utilities, General Bill - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (209 yes, 5 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 12 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - County funeral help for low-income families: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2025, the county where a person died must fund a decent burial, cremation, or other final disposition. The deceased person, family, and immediate relatives must all be indigent and unable to pay. The county sets the amount, which cannot exceed the actual cost, and may repay immedi… - Veterans get an unclaimed remains pathway: benefit, low. Funeral directors must reasonably try to identify veterans when cremation or organic human reduction is requested. They can seek Veterans Affairs information through veterans' organizations, and the process must not delay reduction. Directors must hold a veteran's unclaimed reduced remains for at l… - Body protections preserve lawful funeral choices: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, Georgia's dead-body abuse offense covers willful defacement before final disposition in the places listed by law. Being lawfully present at the location is not a defense; conduct otherwise authorized by law is excluded. Lawful final disposition under a valid death certificat… - Stronger funeral standards and kickback ban: benefit, low. Funeral directors and embalmers cannot give or promise anything of value to induce another practitioner to provide funeral services. Improper rewards, commissions, and kickbacks are prohibited and can trigger discipline or a separate offense. Georgia can discipline licensees and registrants who fai… - One cremation discipline ground is narrowed: cost, low. Georgia removes gross or willful malpractice and gross neglect in cremation from one specific ground for funeral-board discipline. That ground still covers malpractice or neglect in embalming and funeral directing. This change does not remove the Board's other grounds for discipline. - Reduction businesses face licensing and inspections: cost, low. Organic human reduction facilities must hold Georgia Board of Funeral Service licenses for their specific locations. Licenses are nontransferable and must be renewed every two years with a Board-set fee. Owners must notify the Board at least 15 days before a planned ownership change, and facilities… - Families gain sea burial with deadlines: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, organically reduced remains can be taken by boat from a Georgia harbor or by air for sea burial. Burial must be at least three miles from the nearest shoreline, and remains must be removed from their container. Services must be completed within 50 days after reduction, unles… - New body reduction option for families: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, Georgia recognizes organic human reduction as a legal option alongside burial and cremation. The process breaks down a deceased person's body into reduced remains. A legally authorized person can contract with a licensed reduction facility for funeral services and final disp… - Unclaimed remains rules cap family charges: mixed, low. Reduction requesters must provide a mailing address, and providers must send first-class notice when remains are ready. The authorizing person must sign a statement of the planned final disposition, if known; shipments need internal tracking and signed receipts. After 60 days from cremation or redu… - Safer remains handling with new paperwork: mixed, low. Reduction facilities must process remains until no fragment is recognizable as skeletal tissue. They can place only one body in a reduction container unless the person legally responsible gives written permission. Identification tags must accompany bodies, and remains containers need labels and rel… - Director rules with temporary facility relief: mixed, low. Funeral establishments, crematories, and reduction facilities need a Georgia-resident licensed funeral director in full and continuous charge. The director must serve only one facility, work at least 40 hours weekly, remain accessible, and display their name and license number. Directors living at… - Reduction facilities face equipment and location limits: mixed, low. Reduction facilities need a separate location license and must pay an application fee. Most need seating for at least 30 people, a container display room, and at least one Georgia-registered motor hearse. They also need at least one working reduction container, processing or grinding station, and w… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Lee Anderson (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Derek Mallow (Democrat), Senate - Sponsor: Elena Parent (Democrat), Senate - Sponsor: Randy Robertson (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Rick Williams (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Alan Powell (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-03-31 | House | PASSAGE | pass | 157 | 4 | 3 | | 2025-03-04 | Senate | PASSAGE | pass | 52 | 1 | 1 | ## Actions (15) - 2025-07-01: Effective Date - 2025-05-09: Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate) - 2025-05-09: Act 82 - 2025-04-07: Senate Sent to Governor (Senate) - 2025-03-31: House Third Readers (House) - 2025-03-31: House Passed/Adopted (House) - 2025-03-20: House Committee Favorably Reported (House) - 2025-03-10: House Second Readers (House) - 2025-03-06: House First Readers (House) - 2025-03-04: Senate Third Read (Senate) - 2025-03-04: Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate) - 2025-03-03: Senate Read Second Time (Senate) - 2025-02-28: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate) - 2025-02-24: Senate Read and Referred (Senate) - 2025-02-21: Senate Hopper (Senate) ## Bill text - SB 241/AP* (v5): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/238551) ## Related bills - SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckless stunt driving; replace the forfeiture penalty (signed) - SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation for certain motor vehicles; provide (signed) - SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; establish (signed) - SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact (signed) - HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish (signed) - HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact (signed) ## Sources - [SB 241/AP* (v5) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/238551) ## Related - [SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckles…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB160-2025-2026) - [SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB384-2025-2026) - [SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Servic…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB76-2025-2026) - [SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB406-2025-2026) - [HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1391-2025-2026) - [HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1344-2025-2026) - [Georgia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia/bills) - [Georgia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB241-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).