Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 5, the "Bereaved Consumer's Bill of Rights Act of 2009" (H.R. 3655) will come before the House Energy & Commerce Committee for a possible vote. If passed, H.R. 3655 would require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to initiate a separate rule covering all sellers of funeral or burial goods or services.

"This bill is what funeral service is all about: serving families. Funeral directors proudly comply with federal law; this bill brings the essence of what we do – the high standards NFDA members live by every day – to a legislative level for all providers of funeral goods and services," says NFDA Past President Robert Biggins.

NFDA asks you to take five minutes NOW (today is the day our voices must be heard) to help protect grieving families. Contact your representatives and urge them to support this bill!

NFDA needs you to TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTION IMMEDIATELY:

1. Use NFDA's Congress-at-Click tool to send a pre-written email to your representative. Go to www.nfda.org/congressataclick and click on "Take Action."
2. Call the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee at 202-225-2927 and 202-225-3641 to express your support of H.R. 3655 – you need to call BOTH numbers.
3. Call your member of Congress and tell him/her to contact the Energy & Commerce Committee to express support for H.R. 3655. (Contact info for your congressman is easily found using Congress-at-a-Click, www.nfda.org/congressataclick.)
4. Tell your funeral service friends, colleagues and employees about this important bill and ask them to take action in support of H.R. 3655 NOW.

Why support H.R. 3655?

• If passed, H.R. 3655 would require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to initiate a separate rule covering all sellers of funeral or burial goods or services.
• If passed, this bill would protect families by requiring cemeteries, crematories and third-party providers to provide the same minimum disclosures you are required to provide under the FTC Funeral Rule.
• H.R. 3655 would not impose new fines or penalties on funeral homes. The fines that would apply to other providers under H.R. 3655 are the same that apply to you under the Funeral Rule. Few, if any, funeral homes have ever received the maximum fine, and no funeral home has been put out of business because of a fine.

If H.R. 3655 does not pass, it would leave a critical part of funeral service lacking federal regulation. In a dramatically changed marketplace, with new and non-traditional sellers offering many more choices for purchasing funeral or burial goods or services, consumers take a risk in dealing with these providers in a lightly, and sometimes even unregulated, environment.

For years, NFDA members have asked the association, their legislators and the FTC to elevate professional practices for all sellers of funeral or burial goods or services by expanding the Funeral Rule. This is your chance to make this happen! Tomorrow may be too late!

Congressional committees take levels of support for legislation into consideration as they debate the merits of a bill. Let them know that H.R. 3655 is the right thing to do for consumers everywhere!

Learn more about H.R. 3655 and NFDA's history of support for it by visiting the NFDA Website. If you have questions about H.R. 3655, please call NFDA at 800-228-6332 and ask to speak to a member of the Advocacy Division staff.