CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1974
68TH LEGISLATURE
2024 REGULAR SESSION
Passed by the House February 9, 2024 Yeas 97 Nays 0
Speaker of the House of Representatives Passed by the Senate February 28, 2024 Yeas 49 Nays 0
President of the Senate | CERTIFICATE I, Bernard Dean, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1974 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.
Chief Clerk Chief Clerk |
Approved | FILED |
| Secretary of State State of Washington |
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1974
Passed Legislature - 2024 Regular Session
State of Washington | 68th Legislature | 2024 Regular Session |
ByHouse Civil Rights & Judiciary (originally sponsored by Representatives Abbarno, Bronoske, and Doglio)
READ FIRST TIME 01/31/24.
AN ACT Relating to the disposition of human remains; and reenacting and amending RCW
68.50.230.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW
68.50.230 and 2009 c 102 s 20 and 2009 c 56 s 1 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
(1) Whenever any human remains shall have been in the lawful possession of any person, firm, corporation, county, or association for a period of ((ninety))45 days or more, and the relatives of, or persons interested in, the deceased person shall fail, neglect, or refuse to direct the disposition, the human remains may be disposed of by the person, firm, corporation, county, or association having such lawful possession thereof, under and in accordance with rules adopted by the funeral and cemetery board, not inconsistent with any statute of the state of Washington or rule adopted by the state board of health.
(2)(a) The department of veterans affairs may certify that the deceased person to whom subsection (1) of this section applies was a veteran or the dependent of a veteran eligible for interment at a federal or state veterans' cemetery.
(b) Upon certification of eligible veteran or dependent of a veteran status under (a) of this subsection, the person, firm, corporation, county, or association in possession of the veteran's or veteran's dependent's remains shall transfer the custody and control of the remains to the department of veterans affairs.
(c) The transfer of human remains under (b) of this subsection does not create:
(i) A private right of action against the state or its officers and employees or instrumentalities, or against any person, firm, corporation, county, or association transferring the remains; or
(ii) Liability on behalf of the state, the state's officers, employees, or instrumentalities; or on behalf of the person, firm, corporation, county, or association transferring the remains.
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