Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C. By Chris Holt, State Association Representative, NFDA Happy spring! Here are just a few notes on what is happening with the NFDA and our trip to Washington, D.C. We flew into D.C. in early April for the Advocacy Summit with NFDA and hundreds of funeral directors from across the nation to advocate for issues facing our industry to our respective legislative delegates. Terri James, Bri Mulvaney and myself, with my wife and two daughters, spent two days on Capitol Hill meeting with our four legislators. It started on April 9 when we had coffee at the Senate Hart building with other Montana delegations to mingle with our delegates in a very low-key setting, and we got some face time with Daines, Sheehy and Zinke, which was very cool. Then we had a great Capitol tour — what a magnificent building. On April 10, we headed to Capitol Hill to meet our delegates and their staff. First, we started off with Sen. Steve Daines’ office. He joined us in our meeting and took a photo with us! We then met with Sen. Sheehy’s staff before having lunch at the Capitol Hill Club, a very cool place. After, we ventured to Rep. Zinke’s office and then to Rep. Downing’s office. The issues we discussed started with the Consensual Donation and Research Integrity Act (S. 1270/H.R. 2589), which aims to bring federal oversight to the currently unregulated industry of whole-body donation. While donating a loved one’s body for scientific research is an admirable choice that can aid medical research and advancements, families have been devastated by unscrupulous body brokers who exploit their generosity. The bill grants the Department of Health and Human Services oversight of non-transplant tissue banks, requiring them to register, comply with informed consent protocols and adhere to strict handling and tracking procedures. It also establishes penalties for violations, ensuring greater transparency and accountability. This is fully endorsed by the NFDA. 20 | Directors Digest
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