EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT James Brown Welcome to the newest edition of the Directors Digest. I write this article on a hot and humid August day here in Montana. We are fortunate that this summer’s fire season has not been bad due to the cooler, wetter June and early July. Coming off a great state convention in June, the Association’s work on your behalf has not slowed down. Newly sworn-in MFDA President T.J. Stevenson and long-time MFDA Membership Coordinator Terri James attended the NFDA’s Leadership Conference held in Orlando in June. While there, Terri met with the representatives of other state funeral associations to discuss issues common to the industry nationally. Not surprisingly, like Montana, other states are experiencing difficulties finding, recruiting, and retaining employees. Further, like Montana, MFDA’s sister states are also watching efforts to undermine the independence and functioning of the state’s funeral board, as well as monitoring the development of closures of homes in more rural areas. These are industry areas MFDA is also paying close attention to. To this end, the Association’s push to have the board of funeral service hold a meeting for the first time since the beginning of February 2021 finally paid off. In July, the Board of Funeral Services met. Among other developments, the Board elected a new chair, Jim Axelson and reviewed the Board’s financials. Due to the drop in activity by the Board and personnel at the Department of Labor, the Board’s finances are well in the black – a position in direct contrast to the prior five to seven years of operation. The Board’s operations, or lack thereof, have garnered the attention of the Montana Legislature. On August 16, the Legislature’s Economic Affairs Committee, which oversees the Department of Labor and the occupational boards housed thereunder, held an oversight hearing on the implementation of House Bill 139 – MFDA’s legislation from the 2021 legislative session. This bill increased the cost of death certificates and directed a portion of the revenue to the Board of Funeral Services for its operations. During the hearing, the Department testified the bill has successfully provided a level of funding that kept the Board from operating in the red, as it was prior to HB 139. The Department of Labor reported the bill raised some $177,000 in revenue, resulting in the Board of Funeral Service showing a significant cash balance of $444,000. If this amount of cash remains this high at the start of the 2023 Montana legislative session, the Association expects there will be an effort to either repeal HB 139 or severely amend it. This is a legislative development and possibility that the Association will be closely tracking during the coming months. Speaking of industry developments, if you did not catch it when it was released, the NFDA released the results of its annual member General Price List Study. The NFDA reported that the median cost of a funeral did not increase as fast as the rate of inflation in 2021. The NFDA reports that the median cost of a funeral has increased roughly 6.6% over the past five years, while the cost of a funeral with cremation has increased by 11.3% during the same time. In contrast, the overall inflation rate was 13.98% for the same period. These are informative and interesting figures. Looking ahead, the Association will be hosting the fall district meeting as live events this year. The fall district meetings will run from November 1 through November 10, starting in Billings on the first and ending in Missoula on the tenth. The Association will also participate in NFDA’s International Convention and Expo in October in Baltimore. The Montana dinner is slated for Monday, October 10. The venue will be the Cindy Lou Fish House, located in the harbor area. The start time will be 6:00 p.m. for appetizers, with dinner at 7:00 p.m. The Montana NFDA dinner is always one of the Association’s more popular events, and you are encouraged to join if you are in Baltimore. Please RSVP by emailing Terri 6 Montana Funeral Directors Association
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