382 Relating to: disposition of the unclaimed cremated remains of veterans and their dependents. (FE)

  Date of enactment: April 25, 2016
2015 Assembly Bill 693   Date of publication*: April 26, 2016

* Section 991.11, Wisconsin Statutes : Effective date of acts. "Every act and every portion of an act enacted by the legislature over the governor's partial veto which does not expressly prescribe the time when it takes effect shall take effect on the day after its date of publication."

2015 WISCONSIN ACT 382

An Act to create 45.61 (2m) of the statutes; relating to: disposition of the unclaimed cremated remains of veterans and their dependents.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1 . 45.61 (2m) of the statutes is created to read:

45.61 (2m) Unclaimed cremated remains of veterans. (a) 1. A funeral director, cemetery authority, or public officer having custody of unclaimed cremated remains shall, if the cremated remains are not claimed within 90 days after the date of cremation, contact the department, a county veterans service officer, or a local veterans service organization to determine whether the cremated remains are of a person described under sub. (2).

2. If the department, county veterans service officer, or local veterans service organization determines that the cremated remains are of a person described under sub. (2), the funeral director, cemetery authority, or public officer may transfer the cremated remains to the department for burial under this section.

(b) A funeral director, cemetery authority, or public officer who transfers cremated remains to the department under par. (a) 2., and, if different from the funeral director, the owner or operator of the funeral establishment, is immune from civil liability for any injury resulting from that act unless the act constitutes gross negligence or involves reckless, wanton, or intentional misconduct.