Serve With Dignity, Respect, and Integrity
P.O. Box 29363, Indianapolis, IN 46229
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Dana Kelly-White
Congratulations to Dana Kelly-White, Interim Manager at Smith, Bizzell & Warner Funeral Home in Gary, Indiana on her recent appointment to serve as Vice President of Indiana Select Funeral Directors & Morticians Association.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
CONGRATULATIONS TO INDIANA SELECT PRESIDENT, SYLVESTER DUNN II ON HIS GRADUATION FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER’S ACADEMY AT THE 86TH ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION HELD RECENTLY IN ATLANTA, GA.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT:
Dear fellow Colleagues,
I just returned from the House of representatives in Charlotte North Carolina. It was a very productive and inspiring meeting. I’m pleased to report that we are doing quite well financially as a national body. This is due to the mortgage being paid off and revenues from our conventions.
There are several initiatives underway that’s going to move us forward with confidence and continuity. Thanks to a generous donation from past president Gregory Levett, Sr, lights were installed on the headquarters parking lot. We also just fixed the gate and are currently pursuing bids for additional fencing that will enclose our headquarter facility.
We have tentatively set our date for the State convention in Northwest IN for the last weekend of September or the 1st weekend of October. Well have the dates confirmed in the next two weeks.
We are also working on Indiana Select obtaining a 501c3 status, as well as, updating our bylaws.
I want to encourage everyone to attend the National Convention this year in Atlanta, Georgia (July 29- Aug 3). It’s going to be epic. More vendors are coming and more C.E.U.’s will be available, plus we will have a suite for our members to kick back and relax.
This organization is great because of your active and continued financial support. I look forward to the great things God has in store us.
Serving,
Sylvester Dunn II
CONGRATULATIONS!
CONGRATULATIONS TO INDIANA SELECT TREASURER, KEVIN MCMICHEL
Recipient of The Morning Fellowship's Community Service Award for March, 2023. Well done!
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
IMPD Chaplain Appointment
Congratulations to Indiana Select member, Emanuel Smith, Jr. (Indianapolis), who was appointed as a Chaplain with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department on Wednesday, December 7, 2022. We know Emanuel will be a great addition to the IMPD Chaplaincy Team and pray for his continued success as he broadens his service to our community in this new role.
Pictured here with IMPD Chief Randal Taylor are Emanuel Smith, Jr. alongside Indiana Select member, Chairman of the Board, and IMPD Officer, William Young. We appreciate you both for your services!
SPECIAL NFDA BULLETIN
October 20, 2022
Special NFDA Bulletin
FTC to Move Forward with Rulemaking Process to Modernize the Funeral Rule
Today, the commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission voted unanimously in favor of retaining the Funeral Rule and issuing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on potential updates to modernize the rule, including improvements to the public accessibility of funeral home price information. The Commission also approved the issuance of a staff report that summarizes the results of their review of almost 200 funeral provider websites.
NFDA ensured the perspective of funeral service was heard loud and clear. President Jack Mitchell and General Counsel Chris Farmer spoke on your behalf, commenting on the issue of the FTC’s stated goal of modernizing certain aspects of the Funeral Rule – without impeding funeral home’s ability to serve families with compassion and dignity.
Additionally, association members Cason Hightower, a member of the NFDA Advocacy Committee from Carrollton, Georgia, and former At-Large Representative Stephen Kemp of Southfield, Michigan, offered comments. You can watch a recording of the meeting here: https://kvgo.com/ftc/open-commission-october-20-2022.
One of NFDA’s long-held positions is that the trigger for presenting a GPL to families is vague and imprecise, a point which Mitchell, Hightower and Kemp addressed in their comments. The Funeral Rule currently requires the GPL to be given upon “beginning a discussion” of funeral goods, services, arrangement or prices. NFDA has pointed out that this requirement can be triggered in many different situations and scenarios where the consumer has no interest in selecting funeral goods or services. It can also come at a point at which a presenting a price list may seem cold and crass. Commissioner Bedoya commented that he did not believe a scenario shared by Hightower during her remarks would have triggered the requirement to provide a GPL as she believed; however, this assertion appears to be inconsistent with the way the Commission has enforced the Rule to date.
Farmer’s comments focused on two areas. First, he focused on the rigidity of the Rule and its effect of stifling funeral home’s ability to offer reduced packages such as cremation with a service for less than the basic nondeclinable service fee. As written, the Rule stifles competition and keeps prices artificially high for consumers.
Second, Farmer addressed the suggestion that the Funeral Rule be amended to require funeral homes to post prices online. While NFDA agrees that funeral homes should be transparent when it comes to pricing, it is NFDA’s position that posting prices online should be the choice of the business owner. Further, there does not appear to be any evidence that consumers have difficulty obtaining pricing information.
Additionally, it appears as if the matter is moot as states are looking at regulating the issue and third-parties are consolidating and posting price lists online, allowing consumers to visit one site for several funeral homes prices (as opposed to the consumer having to look up each funeral home separately). These developments are preferable as more responsive to consumers’ desires and are better tailored to each individual market than a rigid federal regulation would be.
In his comments, Kemp also addressed the Funeral Rule’s lack of clarity when dealing with diverse populations – something funeral service professionals are increasingly dealing with as communities continue to grow and evolve. The Funeral Rule does not adequately address the challenges that may be imposed by language or cultural barriers when a funeral director presents a GPL to a family.
The FTC has shared a news release and issued the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, on it’s website. Once NFDA has had a chance to review all of the information released by the FTC, we will provide an update to members.
The FTC received more than 785 comments to its original request for comments, including NFDA’s comprehensive responses. The official document submitted to the FTC with NFDA’s complete response may be found here.
As the FTC moves forward with the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, NFDA will be fully engaged in the process, ensuring that the perspective of funeral service professionals is heard loud and clear. We pledge to keep you informed throughout the process.
National Funeral Directors Association
13625 Bishops Drive | Brookfield, WI 53005
p: 800.228.6332 | +1.262.789.1880
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