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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 402 FILED ON: 1/13/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1217
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Patrick M. O'Connor
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act designating right of disposition.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Patrick M. O'ConnorFirst Plymouth and NorfolkJoseph D. McKenna18th Worcester1/21/2025 1 of 8
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 402 FILED ON: 1/13/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1217
By Mr. O'Connor, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1217) of Patrick M. O'Connor
and Joseph D. McKenna for legislation to designate the right of disposition of human remains.
The Judiciary.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act designating right of disposition.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. A person, who is 18 years of age or older and of sound mind, by entering
2into a pre-need funeral service contract as defined in 239 CMR 4.01 or by providing instructions
3in a written and sworn affidavit, may direct the location, manner and conditions of disposition of
4the person's remains, and the arrangements for funeral goods and services to be provided upon
5the person's death. The disposition directions and funeral prearrangements that are contained in a
6pre-need funeral services contract shall not be subject to cancellation or substantial revision
7unless the cancellation or substantial revision has been ordered by a person who the decedent has
8appointed in the pre-need funeral services contract as the person authorized to cancel or revise
9the terms of the pre-need funeral services contract, or unless any resources set aside to fund the
10pre-need funeral services contract are insufficient under the terms of the pre-need funeral
11services contract to carry out the disposition directions and funeral prearrangements contained
12therein. 2 of 8
13 SECTION 2. Except as set forth in Section (4), the right to control the disposition of the
14remains of a deceased person, the location, manner and conditions of disposition, and
15arrangements for funeral goods and services to be provided vests in the following in the order
16named, provided such person is 18 years or older and is of sound mind:
17 a) (1) A person designated by the decedent as the person with the right to control the
18disposition in an affidavit executed in accordance with Section 3; or (2) a person designated in
19the federal Record of Emergency Date Form DO 93, or its successor form, to have the right of
20disposition by a member of the military who dies while under active duty orders as described in
2110 U.S.C. 1481.
22 b) The surviving spouse.
23 c) The sole surviving child of the decedent, or if there is more than one child of the
24decedent, the majority of the surviving children. However, less than one-half of the surviving
25children shall be vested with the rights of this section if they have used reasonable efforts to
26notify all other surviving children of their instructions and are not aware of any opposition to
27those instructions on the part of more than one-half of all surviving children.
28 d) The surviving parent or parents of the decedent. If one of the surviving parents is
29absent, the remaining parent shall be vested with the rights and duties of this section after
30reasonable efforts have been unsuccessful in locating the absent surviving parent.
31 e) The surviving brother or sister of the decedent, or if there is more than one sibling of
32the decedent, the majority of the surviving siblings. However, less than the majority of surviving
33siblings shall be vested with the rights and duties of this section if they have used reasonable 3 of 8
34efforts to notify all other surviving siblings of their instructions and are not aware of any
35opposition to those instructions on the part of more than one-half of all surviving siblings.
36 f) The surviving grandparent of the decedent, or if there is more than one surviving
37grandparent, the majority of the grandparents. However, less than the majority of the surviving
38grandparents shall be vested with the rights and duties of this section if they have used
39reasonable efforts to notify all other surviving grandparents of their instructions and are not
40aware of any opposition to those instructions on the part of more than one-half of all surviving
41grandparents.
42 g) The guardian of the person of the decedent at the time of the decedent's death, if one
43had been appointed.
44 h) The personal representative of the estate of the decedent.
45 i) The person in the classes of the next degree of kinship, in descending order, under the
46laws of descent and distribution to inherit the estate of the decedent. If there is more than one
47person of the same degree, any person of that degree may exercise the right of disposition.
48 j) If the disposition of the remains of the decedent is the responsibility of the state or a
49political subdivision of the state, the public officer, administrator or employee responsible for
50arranging the final disposition of decedent's remains.
51 k) In the absence of any person under subsections (a) through (j) of this section, any other
52person willing to assume the responsibilities to act and arrange the final disposition of the
53decedent's remains, including the funeral director with custody of the body, after attesting in 4 of 8
54writing that a good faith effort has been made to no avail to contact the individuals under
55subsections (a) through (j) of this section.
56 SECTION 3. A person who is 18 years of age or older and of sound mind wishing to
57authorize another person to control the disposition of his or her remains may execute an affidavit
58before a notary public in substantially the following form:
59 "State of :----- }
60 County of ----- }
61 I, ---------------------------------do hereby designate ---------------------------with the right to
62control the disposition of my remains upon my death. I ______have/ ______have not
63 attached specific directions concerning the disposition of my remains which the designee
64shall substantially comply with, provided such directions are lawful and there are sufficient
65resources in my estate to carry out the directions.
66 Subscribed and sworn to before me this ______.day of the month of ______.of the
67 year ______.
68 ___________________ (signature of notary public)"
69 SECTION 4. A person entitled under law to the right of disposition shall forfeit that right,
70and the right is passed on to the next qualifying person as listed in Section (2), in the following
71circumstances:
72 a) Any person charged with first or second degree murder or voluntary manslaughter in
73connection with the decedent's death, and whose charges are known to the funeral director; 5 of 8
74provided, however that if the charges against such person are dismissed, or if such person is
75acquitted of the charges, the right of disposition is returned to the person.
76 b) Any person who does not exercise his or her right of disposition within two days of
77notification of the death of decedent or within three days of decedent's death, whichever is
78earlier.
79 c) If the person and the decedent are spouses and a petition to dissolve the marriage was
80pending at the time of decedent's death.
81 d) Where the probate court pursuant to Section (5) below determines that the person
82entitled to the right of disposition and the decedent were estranged at the time of death. For
83purposes of this subdivision, "estranged" means a physical and emotional separation from the
84decedent at the time of death which has existed for a period of time that clearly demonstrates an
85absence of due affection, trust and regard for the decedent.
86 SECTION 5. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the probate court for the county where the
87decedent resided may award the right of disposition to the person determined by the court to be
88the most fit and appropriate to carry out the right of disposition, and may make decisions
89regarding the decedent's remains if those sharing the right of disposition cannot agree. The
90following provisions shall apply to the court's determination under this section:
91 a) If the persons holding the right of disposition are two or more persons with the same
92relationship to the decedent, and they cannot, by majority vote, make a decision regarding the
93disposition of the decedent's remains, any of such persons or a funeral home with custody of the
94remains may file a petition asking the probate court to make a determination in the matter. 6 of 8
95 b) In making a determination under this Section, the probate court shall consider the
96following:
97 (1) The reasonableness and practicality of the proposed funeral arrangements and
98disposition.
99 (2) The degree of the personal relationship between the decedent and each of the persons
100claiming the right of disposition.
101 (3) The desires of the person or persons who are ready, able and willing to pay the cost of
102the funeral arrangements and disposition.
103 (4) The convenience and needs of other families and friends wishing to pay respects.
104 (5) The desires of the decedent.
105 (6) The degree to which the funeral arrangements would allow maximum participation by
106all wishing to pay respect.
107 c) In the event of a dispute regarding the right of disposition, a funeral home is not liable
108for refusing to accept the remains or to inter or otherwise dispose of the remains of the decedent
109or complete the arrangements for the final disposition of the remains until the funeral home
110receives a court order or other written agreement signed by the parties in the disagreement that
111decides the final disposition of the remains. If the funeral home retains the remains for final
112disposition while the parties are in disagreement, the funeral home may embalm or refrigerate
113and shelter the body, or both, in order to preserve it while awaiting the final decision of the
114probate court and may add the cost of embalming and refrigeration and sheltering to the final
115disposition costs. If a funeral home brings an action under this section, the funeral home may add 7 of 8
116the legal fees and court costs associated with a petition under this section to the cost of final
117disposition. This section may not be construed to require or to impose a duty upon a funeral
118home to bring an action under this section. A funeral home and its employees may not be held
119criminally or civilly liable for choosing not to bring an action under this section.
120 d) Except to the degree it may be considered by the probate court under clause (b)(3) of
121Section 4 above, the fact that a person has paid or agreed to pay for all or part of the funeral
122arrangements and final disposition does not give that person a greater right to the right of
123disposition than the person would otherwise have. The personal representative of the estate of the
124decedent does not, by virtue of being the personal representative, have a greater claim to the right
125of disposition than the person would otherwise have.
126 SECTION 6. Any person signing a funeral service agreement, cremation authorization
127form, or any other authorization for disposition shall be deemed to warrant the truthfulness of
128any facts set forth therein, including the identity of the decedent whose remains are to be buried,
129cremated, or otherwise disposed of, and the party's authority to order such disposition. A funeral
130home shall have the right to rely on such funeral service contract or authorization and shall have
131the authority to carry out the instructions of the person or persons whom the funeral home
132reasonably believes holds the right of disposition. The funeral home shall have no responsibility
133to contact or to independently investigate the existence of any next-of-kin or relative of the
134decedent. If there is more than one person in a class who are equal in priority and the funeral
135home has no knowledge of any objection by other members of such class, the funeral home shall
136be entitled to rely on and act according to the instructions of the first such person in the class to
137make funeral and disposition arrangements; provided that no other person in such class provides
138written notice of his or her objections to the funeral home. 8 of 8
139 SECTION 7. No funeral home or funeral director who relies in good faith upon the
140instructions of an individual claiming the right of disposition shall be subject to criminal or civil
141liability or subject to disciplinary action for carrying out the disposition of the remains in
142accordance with the instructions.