Public Act 267 of 2003

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• Introduced by Sen. Jud Gilbert (R) on May 21, 2003, to authorize felony penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine for the failure to properly dispose of a body within a reasonable time period. This bill was introduced following a grisly 2002 incident where hundreds of discarded bodies were found unburied at a Georgia crematory.
  • Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 21, 2003.
    • Reported in the Senate on October 2, 2003, with the recommendation that the substitute (S-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
  • Substitute offered in the Senate on October 7, 2003, to replace the previous version of the bill with one which incorporates technical changes that do not affect the substance of the bill as previously describe. The substitute passed in the Senate by voice vote on October 7, 2003.
• Passed in the Senate (36 to 0) on October 8, 2003. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Received in the House on October 8, 2003.
  • Referred to the House Criminal Justice Committee on October 8, 2003.
    • Reported in the House on December 10, 2003, with the recommendation that the substitute (H-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
  • Substitute offered in the House on December 16, 2003, to replace the previous version of the bill with one which applies the criminal penalties if a body is not properly disposed of after 180 days (with certain exceptions), rather than after "a reasonable time," which was thought to be too imprecise. The substitute passed in the House by voice vote on December 16, 2003.
• Passed in the House (108 to 0) on December 16, 2003, to authorize felony penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine for the failure to properly dispose of a body within 180 days, with certain exceptions. This bill was introduced following a grisly 2002 incident where hundreds of discarded bodies were found unburied at a Georgia crematory. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Received in the Senate on December 17, 2003.
• Passed in the Senate (34 to 0) on December 18, 2003, to concur with the House-passed version of the bill. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on January 8, 2004.