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SB1149 • 2026

Funeral Directors and Embalmers

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 62, Chapter 5, relative to funeral directors and embalmers.

Education
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Crowe, Alexander
Last action
2025-04-28
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 198
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Changes for Funeral Directors and Embalmers

This bill changes Tennessee's rules about how to become a licensed funeral director or embalmer by allowing new ways to get experience.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows someone who wants to be a funeral director but has not been previously licensed in Tennessee to substitute one year of apprenticeship with an associate degree from a college accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education.
  • Adds that thirty semester hours or forty-five quarter hours in funeral service education can also replace one year of apprenticeship.
  • Permits applicants to complete their second year of apprenticeship at the same time as meeting educational requirements.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who want to become licensed funeral directors or embalmers in Tennessee.

Terms To Know

Apprenticeship
A period of supervised work and training for someone learning a job skill, like being a funeral director.
Licensed
Having official permission to do a specific type of work or profession after meeting certain requirements.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the changes will be enforced.
  • It is unclear if there are any additional costs for funeral directors and embalmers due to these changes.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0860

Plain English: The amendment changes the requirements for becoming a licensed funeral director in Tennessee by allowing an associate degree or program completion to substitute for one year of apprenticeship.

  • Removes the requirement that applicants must complete two years of apprenticeship under a licensed funeral director.
  • Adds new language allowing an associate degree from an accredited college or completion of a specific program to replace one year of apprenticeship.
  • The exact details about which programs and colleges are considered 'accredited' by the American Board of Funeral Service Education are not provided in this amendment text.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1149

Plain English: The amendment changes the requirements for becoming a licensed funeral director in Tennessee by allowing an associate degree or program completion to substitute for one year of apprenticeship.

  • Removes the requirement that applicants must complete two years of apprenticeship under a licensed funeral director.
  • Adds new language allowing an associate degree from an accredited college or completion of a specific program to replace one year of apprenticeship.
  • The exact details about which programs and colleges are considered 'accredited' by the American Board of Funeral Service Education are not provided in this amendment text.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 198

  2. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  3. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 198

  4. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-03-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  11. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 30, Nays 0

  12. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0181)

  13. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  14. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  15. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/27/2025

  16. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  17. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 94, Nays 1, PNV 0

  18. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0131)

  19. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  20. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/24/2025

  21. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/20/2025

  22. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  23. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 0

  24. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/18/2025

  25. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Commerce Committee for 3/19/2025

  26. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Commerce Committee

  27. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/18/2025

  28. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Business & Utilities Subcommittee for 3/12/2025

  29. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee

  30. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  31. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Business & Utilities Subcommittee

  32. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  33. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Commerce Committee

  34. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  35. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 860
By Alexander

SENATE BILL 1149
By Crowe

SB1149
002284
- 1 -
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 62,
Chapter 5, relative to funeral directors and
embalmers.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 62-5-305(b), is amended by deleting
subdivision (7) and substituting the following:
(7) Has completed two (2) years of apprenticeship in the presence of and under
the direction and supervision of a licensed funeral director. An associate degree, or the
completion of a program of study in funeral service education, as provided in subdivision
(b)(6), may be substituted for one (1) year of apprenticeship.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 62-5-305, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
(c)
(1) The completion of thirty (30) semester hours or forty-five (45) quarter
hours in funeral service education or the equivalent from a school accredited by
the American Board of Funeral Service Education, as provided in subdivision
(b)(6), may be substituted for one (1) year of apprenticeship.
(2) The applicant may fulfill the hourly educational requirement under
subdivision (b)(6) and substitute such hours for one (1) year of apprenticeship
under subdivision (c)(1) and complete the second year of apprenticeship
concurrently in a single calendar year.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.