Bereaved Consumer's Bill of Rights Act of 2016

Bereaved Consumer's Bill of Rights Act of 2016

This bill directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prescribe rules prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the provision of funeral goods or services. The rules must: (1) require price information to be disclosed clearly and conspicuously; (2) prohibit misrepresentations or the provision of goods or services being conditioned upon the purchase of other goods or services from the provider; (3) require presale disclosures and contracts to be written clearly, stating the merchandise, services, and prices and disclosing any penalties for canceling or transferring a contract; (4) require cemeteries to provide consumers all written rules and regulations of the cemetery and all material terms and conditions of purchase; and (5) require cemeteries to retain all records in existence on the date of enactment of this bill and accurately record and retain records of interments, inurnments, or entombments.

Cemeteries subject to the FTC's rules shall include those organized or operated by states, political subdivisions, or tax-exempt organizations. But the bill excludes cemeteries organized, operated, managed, and owned by a religious organization and that are not affiliated with a for-profit provider offering funeral goods and services for sale to the public.

The FTC and states are provided authority to enforce against violations.