HB 592 -- ST. LOUIS CEMETERIES

This bill permits the City of St. Louis to sell its cemeteries
to  cemetery operators or not for profit corporations.  Cemetery
operators who purchase a cemetery from the city are not liable
for wrongful interments or errors made within the scope of
business prior to the purchase of the cemetery.  The previous
wrongdoer remains liable for actions related to the cemetery
during the time of ownership.  Cemetery owners are required to
register any cemetery purchased from the city as an endowed care
cemetery in compliance with the cemetery endowed care law.

HB 592 -- ST. LOUIS CEMETERIES (O'Toole)

This bill permits cemeteries owned by the City of St. Louis to
be sold to a cemetery operator or a not for profit corporation.
Cemetery operators who purchase a cemetery from a city are not
liable for wrongful interments or errors made within the scope
of  business prior to the purchase of the cemetery. The previous
wrongdoer remains liable for actions related to the cemetery
during the time of ownership. Operators of endowed care
cemeteries must register and comply with the endowed care
regulations.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on state funds.

HB 592 -- ST. LOUIS CEMETERIES

SPONSOR:  O'Toole

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass by consent" by the Committee
on Municipal Corporations by a vote of 19 to 0.

This bill permits cemeteries owned by the City of St. Louis to
be sold to a cemetery operator or a not for profit corporation.
Cemetery operators who purchase a cemetery from a city are not
liable for wrongful interments or errors made within the scope
of  business prior to the purchase of the cemetery. The previous
wrongdoer remains liable for actions related to the cemetery
during the time of ownership. Operators of endowed care
cemeteries must register and comply with the endowed care
regulations.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on state funds.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that the City of St. Louis acquired
a cemetery through delinquent taxes and currently wants to sell
it. Legislation is needed to release liability from attaching to
the new owner.  Liability would remain with the cemetery.  This
cemetery is in  deplorable condition with knocked over
headstones, overgrown grass, missing records, and records
written in Polish and Czechoslovakian languages. The purchaser
may buy this endowed cemetery without replacing money missing
from a $400,000 endowment that now has $43,000 remaining. The
City of St. Louis wants to transfer its immunity from liability
to the new owner in order to sell the cemetery.

Testifying for the bill were Representative O'Toole; and the
Office of the Mayor of the City of St. Louis.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Harolyn Light, Research Analyst

HB 592 -- Cemeteries

Sponsor:  O'Toole

This bill permits St. Louis City to sell cemeteries it owns to a
cemetery operator or a not-for-profit corporation.  Cemetery
operators who purchase a cemetery from the city are not liable
for wrongful interments or errors made within the scope of
business prior to the purchase of the cemetery. The previous
wrongdoer remains liable for actions related to the cemetery
during the time of ownership. Endowed care cemeteries must
register and comply with the endowed care regulations.