Florida Senate Committee Fails to Advance Bill Impacting Funeral Homes' Fingerprint Recording Practices

A first-of-its-kind bill that would have impacted the legality of fingerprint recording by deathcare professionals was not advanced by a committee within the Florida Senate.  

Many within the funeral profession were closely watching the development of this bill.  

Florida Privacy Bill SB 504 sought to regulate funeral homes' collection, notices, and practices related to the biometric data of decedents. If passed, the bill would have required funeral homes to provide written disclosure of their policies related to the use of biometric data collected from the deceased. The funeral home would have also been required to give the option to opt out of such a sale.  

Though the proposed Florida bill did not pass, the proposal highlights the importance of funeral homes’ print collection practices and underscores the concerns that families may place on these matters.  

Tribute Technology’s Premier Partner, Legacy Touch, which is a leading provider of Fingerprint Keepsakes, strongly encourages funeral homes to (1) inform families they’re taking prints and (2) obtain a signed Release or Acknowledgment confirming that the family either consents to the collection or understands that a print cannot be obtained later or replaced once deleted if the family declines print collection.  

You can learn more about this important topic by watching Legacy Touch’s webinar hosted by Tribute Technology on the legality of Fingerprint Keepsakes.  



At a minimum, Legacy Touch recommends that firms should have a sample disclosure, which could be included in your Statement of Funeral Goods and Services. You can view an example of a disclosure in our resource guide, which can be downloaded here.