None.
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
None.
The Funeral Service Commission issues licenses for embalmers, funeral directors, and funeral establishments; inspects funeral establishments; reviews complaints; and holds disciplinary hearings. Through the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act consumers can file action in court for damages from funeral providers. The agency receives about 250 complaints a year and uses the State Office of Administrative Hearings to hear cases. The commission regulates approximately 5,000 licensed individuals representing 8,500 licenses, 1,200 licensed funeral establishments, and 350 provisional licenses.
The Funeral Service Commission was established as the State Board of Embalming in 1903 (Senate Bill 76, 28th Legislature, Regular Session) to license and regulate embalmers in containing contagious diseases that affected public health. In 1938 the law was amended to encompass funeral directors. The revised statute prohibited licensees from using fraud or misrepresentation in the conduct of business, using false or misleading advertising, soliciting, and refusing to promptly surrender a body, thus changing the agency's mission from the protection of public health to the protection of public welfare. In 1953 the agency became the State Board of Morticians (Senate Bill 21, 53rd Legislature, Regular Session).
With some changes, the organization and functions of the Board remained the same until 1978, when it underwent the Sunset review process for the first time. The Sunset Advisory Commission recommended that the board be abolished and its responsibilities be placed within the Texas Department of Health. After considerable debate, the legislature continued the agency, expanding its board to nine members in 1979. Its authority to protect the public was also expanded. In 1987 the legislature renamed the agency the Texas Funeral Service Commission and granted it authority to assess administrative penalties (Senate Bill 95, 70th Legislature, Regular Session). Following Sunset review in 1991 the Legislature gave the Commission additional authority to enforce laws regarding prepaid funerals and vital statistics and health (Senate Bill 284, 71st Legislature, Regular Session).
The policy making body of the Funeral Service Commission is a nine-member commission, appointed by the governor with concurrence of the senate for overlapping, six-year terms. The initial Board consisted of five licensed embalmers, changing to six embalmers in 1939. In 1979, the Board expanded to nine members. Five were to be licensed embalmers or funeral directors in the state, with a minimum of five years' consecutive experience immediately preceding appointment. Of the five, at least three were embalmers. The remaining four members represented the general public and could not be subject to the board's regulation. In 1991, the composition of the Board was changed from four to five consumer members and from five to four licensed members, and the governor was given the responsibility for appointing the chair. These are non-salaried positions and no member may serve more than one term.
The agency is headed by an executive director, and as of 1996, consisted of 10 FTE (full-time equivalent) employees.
(Sources include:
The Texas Funeral Service Commission regulates the funeral service industry by issuing licenses for embalmers, funeral directors, and funeral establishments; inspecting funeral establishments; reviewing complaints; and holding disciplinary hearings. Records consist of minutes, correspondence, policy manuals, press releases, and organization charts. Dates covered are 1978-1998, bulk 1980-1998. Topics covered in these records include changes in rules and regulations; licenses issued, renewed, or revoked to funeral home directors, embalmers, and funeral establishments; exams; complaints; inspections and investigations of funeral establishments and providers; fees; and continuing education.
These records are organized by State Archives staff into five series:
The terms listed here were used to catalog the records. The terms can be used to find similar or related records.
The Texas Funeral Service Commission mounts an electronic copy of
minutes and agenda from its most recent meeting in PDF format on the agency web
site (
The record copies of minutes and agenda are maintained by the Texas Funeral Service Commission.
(Identify the item and cite the series), Texas Funeral Service Commission records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These records of the Funeral Service Commission were appraised by the State Archives staff as archival on April 10, 1997 as part of an agency-wide appraisal of the Texas Funeral Service Commission. For more information about the appraisal of the Texas Funeral Service Commission records, see the appraisal report by State Archives staff on file in the search room of the Archives and Information Services Division. It is not yet available online.
Laura K. Saegert, July 1997, September 2004, October 2006
Accession numbers: 1997/062, 1997/063, 1997/080, 1997/081, 1997/114, 2003/031, 2004/227, 2006/104
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by Texas Funeral Service Commission on January 8, February 13, and May 8, 1997; and by the Texas Legislative Reference Library on October 17, 2002; August 18, 2004; and January 11, 2006.
The Texas Funeral Service Commission (successor to the Texas State Board of Morticians) regulates the funeral service industry by issuing licenses for embalmers, funeral directors, and funeral establishments; inspecting funeral establishments; reviewing complaints; and holding disciplinary hearings. These are minutes of the Texas State Board of Morticians and the Texas Funeral Service Commission. The minutes are now filed as part of a series of meeting files, containing the agenda, minutes, and documents discussed at the meetings, such as legislation or rules and regulations. Dates covered are 1980-1998. The minutes also contain committee reports, with the Finance, Personnel, Education, Complaint, and Rules committees reporting regularly. Topics discussed at the meetings include rules and regulations; licenses issued, renewed, or revoked; exams; complaints; inspections and investigations; fees; and continuing education.
Agenda are rarely present before 1989. Beginning in 1992 and through 1994, agenda were filed with minutes of the preceeding meeting, i.e. September agenda was filed with the minutes of the June meeting. Meeting documentation can be found with the minutes starting in 1995, and is present for most of the meetings through 1996. For a short period, late 1995-mid 1996, Notice of Open meeting announcements were filed with the minutes. Also, a transcript of the proceedings of the November 1995 meeting is present. Transcripts are not available for any other meetings.
These records are arranged in chronological order by meeting date as maintained by the agency.
(Identify the item and cite the series), Meeting minutes, Texas Funeral Service Commission records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession numbers: 1997/062, 1997/063, 1997/114, 2003/031, 2004/227, 2006/104
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Funeral Service Commission on January 8 and May 8, 1997; and by the Texas Legislative Reference Library on October 17, 2002; August 18, 2004; and January 11, 2006.
Laura K. Saegert, July 1997, September 2004, October 2006
The Texas Funeral Service Commission regulates the funeral service industry by issuing licenses for embalmers, funeral directors, and funeral establishments; inspecting funeral establishments; reviewing complaints; and holding disciplinary hearings. This series contains correspondence and memoranda of staff of the Texas Funeral Service Commission with Commission members; and correspondence with other state agencies, educational institutions, professional groups, businesses, and individuals. Dates covered are 1978-1991, bulk 1985-1991. Topics discussed with Commission members include Board appointments, legislation, upcoming meeting agenda, rules and regulations, hearings, Sunset Commission review, continuing education, and licensing and apprenticeship issues. Correspondence with agencies, groups, etc., discuss budget, continuing education and accreditation of educational institutions, comments on proposed rules or legislation, mortuary law violations, professional meetings, use of outside legal counsel, some complaints, and other topics. A few letters re: Board appointments are filed at the beginning of the records, followed by correspondence files with individual institutions, then the remaining administrative correspondence, ordered by fiscal year.
Some letters concerning complaints are present in the mid-late 1980s; in later years, correspondence about complaints against funeral homes, directors, or embalmers are filed in the series, Complaints against licensees. Routine correspondence with funeral homes or directors is filed in the series, Funeral home files. Letters requesting advice or legal opinions from the agency are in the series, Legal opinions and advice from agency's legal counsel. Materials in these files can be found at the Funeral Service Commission.
These records were arranged by State Archives staff chronologically by fiscal year, then alphabetically by topic or correspondent. Materials within the folders are usually in reverse chronological order, as maintained by the agency.
(Identify the item), Administrative correspondence, Texas Funeral Service Commission records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession number: 1997/114
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Funeral Service Commission on May 8, 1997.
Laura K. Saegert, July 1997
The Texas Funeral Service Commission regulates the funeral service industry by issuing licenses for embalmers, funeral directors, and funeral establishments; inspecting funeral establishments; reviewing complaints; and holding disciplinary hearings. This is the overall or primary manual of administrative policies and operating procedures of the Texas Funeral Service Commission. There are two editions, dating about 1991 and 1997. The manual contains sections on administration (risk management, correspondence, policy statements, etc.), personnel, fiscal, and operations (investigations, complaints, licensing, continuing education, and professional qualifications registry). The manual also contains a mission statement for the agency, the mortuary laws, and commission rules.
The manuals were arranged by State Archives staff chronologically by date, then by topic.
(Identify the item), Policies and procedures manual, Texas Funeral Service Commission records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession number: 1997/114
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Funeral Service Commission on May 8, 1997.
Laura K. Saegert, July 1997
The Texas Funeral Service Commission regulates the funeral service industry by issuing licenses for embalmers, funeral directors, and funeral establishments; inspecting funeral establishments; reviewing complaints; and holding disciplinary hearings. These are organization charts of the Texas Funeral Service Commission, dated 1996. These charts illustrate graphically the administrative structure of the different functional units within the agency. Copies of the organization charts have been published in the Commission's strategic plan since 1992.
This is a single item.
(Identify the item), Organization charts, Texas Funeral Service Commissio records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession number: 1997/080
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Funeral Service Commission on January 8, 1997.
Laura K. Saegert, July 1997
The Texas Funeral Service Commission (successor to the Texas State Board of Morticians) regulates the funeral service industry by issuing licenses for embalmers, funeral directors, and funeral establishments; inspecting funeral establishments; reviewing complaints; and holding disciplinary hearings. These are news or press releases issued by the Texas State Board of Morticians, dating 1983, 1986-1987, regarding Board appointments, changes in rules and regulations, and changes in legislation affecting the agency. According to agency staff, the Commission no longer issues press releases.
These records were arranged chronologically by State Archives staff.
(Identify the item), Press releases, Texas Funeral Service Commission records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession number: 1997/081
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Funeral Service Commission on February 13, 1997.
Laura K. Saegert, July 1997