Senate Bill 338 to Receive a Public Hearing

Under current law, funeral expenses cannot exceed $3,500 if the family wishes to be eligible for $1,500 in state aid. At the request of the WFDA, Senator Lehman has introduced Senate Bill 338 which simply raises this expense cap to $4,500.

The current cap was established decades ago and has put funeral directors in a difficult position as they balance serving families in time of need while at the end of the day operating a successful business. This tweak in the cap, which does not increase the amount of reimbursement from the state, will hopefully provide funeral homes with the latitude they need to best serve their communities.

While the official hearing notice has yet to be published, Senator Fred Risser, Chairman of the Senate Ethics Reform and Government Operations Committee, has indicated he tentatively plans to have a public hearing on Senate Bill 338 on January 20^th. As soon as we know the exact time and location we will publish the hearing information in the Community Calendar on the WFDA website.

If you are a constituent of any of the members of the Ethics Reform and Government Operations Committee, feel free to contact your senator and let them know you support Senate Bill 338.

The Ethics Reform and Government Operations Committee is comprised of the following members:

Senator Fred Risser (D-Madison)

Senator Judy Robson (D-Beloit)

Senator Pat Kreitlow (D-Eau Claire)

Senator Mike Ellis (R-Neenah)

Senator Alan Lasee (R-De Pere)