S.22-4.44: Promoting Holy Cemeteries Act (PASSED)

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PROMOTING HOLY CEMETERIES ACT

1. When deciding whether or not to permit the use of private property as a cemetery in the Southern Region, no State or locality shall consider the distance of the proposed cemeteries to private wells, reservoirs, or streams that drain into reservoirs, provided such distance exceeds 500 feet.

2. No State or locality in the Southern Region shall require dead bodies buried in a cemetery to be enclosed or encased in a coffin or similar enclosure, provided such dead body is buried deep enough to prevent any nuisance to the public health or safety.

3. No State or locality in the Southern Region shall exempt churchyard cemeteries adjacent to a church from generally applicable zoning restrictions on cemeteries, unless such exemption applies equally to cemeteries located adjacent to the place of worship for any other religion.

4. If any anthropologist or archaeologist discovers human skeletal remains in the Southern Region, such anthropologist or archaeologist shall ask the human skeletal remains its preferred gender identity. If the human skeletal remains decline to state a  
preferred gender identity, the anthropologist or archaeologist may identify, list, and report the human skeletal remains by its sex.

5. This act shall take effect January 1, 2023.

Sponsor: fhtagn

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Motioning for a final vote. 24 hours for objections.

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A final vote on this bill is now open for 72 hours, or until 24 hours after this has enough votes to pass or fail, or until everybody votes, whichever occurs soonest.

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Aye

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The bill now passes and awaits gubernatorial action.

Aye: 5
Nay:0
Present: 0
Not voting: 0

PROMOTING HOLY CEMETERIES ACT

1. When deciding whether or not to permit the use of private property as a cemetery in the Southern Region, no State or locality shall consider the distance of the proposed cemeteries to private wells, reservoirs, or streams that drain into reservoirs, provided such distance exceeds 500 feet.

2. No State or locality in the Southern Region shall require dead bodies buried in a cemetery to be enclosed or encased in a coffin or similar enclosure, provided such dead body is buried deep enough to prevent any nuisance to the public health or safety.

3. No State or locality in the Southern Region shall exempt churchyard cemeteries adjacent to a church from generally applicable zoning restrictions on cemeteries, unless such exemption applies equally to cemeteries located adjacent to the place of worship for any other religion.

4. If any anthropologist or archaeologist discovers human skeletal remains in the Southern Region, such anthropologist or archaeologist shall ask the human skeletal remains its preferred gender identity. If the human skeletal remains decline to state a 
preferred gender identity, the anthropologist or archaeologist may identify, list, and report the human skeletal remains by its sex.

5. This act shall take effect January 1, 2023.