“Death and taxes” are assured. How about higher fees for cremation, starting July 1, in the budget that will come out in the Senate this afternoon amid the threat of 55 Republican amendments that will be shot down in partisan votes. Yes indeed. From the fiscal analysis:
“This bill increases the cremation certificate fee from $40, or the amount the state pays to assistant medical examiners, if greater, to $150. Currently, the state fee is set at $100, so the actual increase is $50. The $100 fee is based on costs determined by the Commission on Medicolegal Investigations, which oversees the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
By law, cremation certificates are required for the cremation of a body for which a death certificate has been issued.”