Press Release - June 20 Albany, NY -- June 20 --  The New York State Senate has overwhelmingly approved a bill which would safeguard families from improper disposal of bodies delivered to a cemetery, crematory or other place of final disposition by requiring that written confirmation be given a funeral director when a body is so transferred. The bill passed the Assembly earlier this month and will now be transmitted to the Governor for his signature. The legislation, sponsored by Senator Nicholas Spano (R-Yonkers) and Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D-Greenburgh), is strongly supported by the New York State Funeral Directors Association ( NYSFDA ) because it adds one more safeguard to the important process of final disposition. According to NYSFDA leadership, the legislation (S.2515-A/A.1228) would serve to prevent any occurrence in New York State similar to the tragic events that unfolded at a Noble, Georgia crematory last year. NYSFDA Executive Director Bonnie Tippy asserted that, "Now that the legislature has given overwhelming approval to this important consumer protection, we urge Governor Pataki to sign this bill into law without delay. Although New York State can rightfully boast of some of the strongest laws in the nation regarding final disposition, NYSFDA strongly believes that this additional safeguard is necessary to provide surviving families with the peace of mind they should have when a loved one's body is delivered to the final resting place." Ms. Tippy added that the leadership of the 750 member funeral directors' organization had sought the legislation to establish a "paper trail" for custody of a body, so that families will know with certainty who is responsible for the body at each step in the process. "Funeral directors take very seriously their many responsibilities to a decedent's loved ones at a time of extreme emotional duress, and this new mechanism will help to provide survivors the enhanced level of comfort to which they are entitled."