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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Tim Solobay |
  
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Solobay encourages swift action on bill to
help families with funeral expenses
HARRISBURG, Sept. 3 – At a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Harrisburg on Wednesday, state Rep. Tim Solobay, D-Washington, asked for swift action on his bill that would increase the amount banks and financial institutions make immediately available to survivors of deceased account holders for funeral expenses.
House Bill 1931 would increase the amount immediately accessible for funeral costs from the current $3,500 to $10,000. Solobay said he intends to amend his bill to raise that cap to $15,000.
"The cost of an adult funeral has increased from approximately $2,900 in 1987 to more than $6,000 in 2007, and that does not include the cost of a cemetery plot, head stone, flowers and other expenses," Solobay said. "Yet, the amount of funds immediately available for funeral expenses has remained the same since 1993."
Several funeral directors testified at the hearing that the average cost of an adult funeral, including purchasing a burial site and monument, ranges from $10,000 to $12,000. According to the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association, only about 25 percent of funerals in Pennsylvania are prepaid, leaving paying for a funeral one of the first issues a family must deal with in the death of a loved one.
"Often, the deceased's estate isn't settled by the funeral so families are left to come up with the money, which creates a financial hardship on top of grieving the loss of a loved one," Solobay said. "Allowing families access to enough money to say their final 'goodbyes' would help to ease their burden at a very difficult time."
House Bill 1931 has received wide bipartisan support in the House and is currently under consideration in the House Judiciary Committee.
Attention Radio News Directors: an actuality from Rep. Solobay is available by calling 1-800-452-3001. Enter PA48 (7-2-4-8) and the pound sign (#) at the menu prompt to get today’s sound. For a fully packaged version of today’s sound, enter PA222 and the pound sign at the menu prompt. You can also download the sound in .mp3 format by visiting www.pahouse.com/mediacenter.
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