Requires entities having possession of unclaimed bodies of deceased persons known to be of Jewish descent or of Muslim descent to contact certain organizations to inquire if such organizations are willing to assume responsibility for the burial or cremation of such persons.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
11146
IN ASSEMBLY
April 24, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WIEDER -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to the handling of
certain unclaimed bodies
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section
2 4211-a to read as follows:
3 § 4211-a. Cadavers; unclaimed; delivery to religious organizations. 1.
4 Notwithstanding the provisions of section forty-two hundred eleven of
5 this title, and prior to the disposition of a body pursuant to such
6 section, if the body of a deceased person is not claimed as provided in
7 section forty-two hundred two of this article and such person is known
8 to have been of Jewish descent or of Muslim descent, the director or
9 person in charge of any hospital, institution, morgue or other place for
10 bodies of deceased persons not interred or otherwise finally disposed
11 of, and every funeral director, undertaker or other person having in
12 their lawful possession, any body of a deceased person for keeping
13 or burial, shall contact: (a) for persons of Jewish descent: (i)
14 Misaskim, 5805 16th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11204, (718) 854-4548; (ii) Chesed
15 Shel Emes, 1224 52nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11219, (855) 273-2121; and/or
16 (iii) Hebrew Free Burial Association, Inc. 330 7th Avenue, 10th Floor
17 New York, NY 10001, (212) 239-1664; or (b) for persons of Muslim
18 descent: Janazah Community Funeral Services, 5306 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY
19 11220, (646) 427-3885, or any successor organizations, and inquire if
20 the organization is willing to pay for the burial expense of the
21 deceased person, and, if the organization is willing to do so, deliver
22 the body of the deceased person in their possession, charge, custody or
23 control not placed therein by any person, agency or organization for
24 keeping, burial or other lawful disposition to the agreeing organiza-
25 tion.
26 2. No unclaimed human remains shall be buried, cremated, or otherwise
27 finally disposed of unless such remains have first been entered into the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15576-02-6
A. 11146 2
1 National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or any successor data-
2 base, in accordance with applicable procedures.
3 3. The provisions of this section shall not supersede any prior writ-
4 ten directives of the deceased person regarding anatomical gifts pursu-
5 ant to article forty-three of this chapter.
6 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
7 have become a law.
