MINUTES REGULAR BOARD MEETING
March 15, 2000

The North Carolina Board of Mortuary Science met for a duly scheduled Board Meeting on March 15, 2000, at 9:00 a.m. in the Board’s office located at 2321 Crabtree Boulevard, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Present: Michael McGhee, President; Nancy Rorie, Vice President; Paul Harris, Secretary, Darryl Hart; Harvey Leavitt; Jimmy Swaringen; Elliott Futrell; and Stuart Cozort.

Also Present: Andrew Ritter, Executive Director; and Jack Nichols, Board attorney.

Others Present: James N. Jorgenson and Anthony Minshew.

Mr. Futrell gave the invocation.

President McGhee called the meeting to order and read the conflict of interest statement as requested by the Board of Ethics.  No one recused themselves at this time.

Mr. McGhee asked Mr. Ritter to introduce Perry Newson, Executive Director of the Board of Ethics.  Mr. Newsom presented an overview of the Board of Ethics and answered questions.

The minutes having been previously distributed, Mr. Harris made two corrections.  Mr. Futrell made a motion to accept with corrections the minutes; Mr. Swaringen seconded.  The motion carried.

The meeting then adjourned for Committee Meetings.

Mr. McGhee reconvened the meeting and asked for Committee Reports.

Trainee: Mr. Futrell made the motion to license a candidate that had passed the exam and later found that the curriculum had changed since his enrollment in community college.  Ms. Rorie seconded motion.  The motion carried.

Finance: Mr. Cozort made comments on the Financial Reports for January and February 2000.  The Board invested money in February through Salomon Smith Barney.  These funds are laddered in Certificates of Deposit and Treasury Bills.  A line item has been added as requested by the auditor to the Liabilities/Fund Balance as unrestricted funds.  Mr. Swaringen made a motion the report be accepted, seconded by Mr. Futrell and the motion passed.

Preneed: Mr. Harris reported that a third submittal of preneed forms had been rejected.  Mr. Harris made a motion for the modification of the preneed forms from two part to multiple-part forms.  This will allow the licensees and insurance companies to use a multiple copy form if they so desire.  The Board and consumer must receive a legible copy of this form.  Mr. Cozort seconded and motion carried.

Disciplinary: Ms. Rorie distributed the Disciplinary Committee reports and made motion to accept the report.  Mr. Cozort seconded and motion carried.

Ms. Rorie distributed two draft copies of letters to be mailed to at need licensees and preneed licensees who had failed to renew for the year 2000.  These letters outlined procedures for reinstating the licenses for the at need establishments and transferring the contracts for the preneed licensee establishments.    Discussion ensued.  Mr. Leavitt brought it to the Board’s attention that in the matter of M00-007 the fee should be $500 instead of $1000.  Mr. Swaringen made a motion to correct that amount.  Mr. Futrell seconded.  Motion carried.  Ms. Rorie made a motion that the two letters be mailed with the word corrected.  Mr. Futrell seconded.  Mr. Leavitt stated that the preneed and at establishments were being treated differently and he did not agree with that.  Discussion ensued.  Mr. McGhee called for the vote.  Voting for the motion were Mr. Swaringen, Ms. Rorie, Mr. McGhee, Mr. Harris, Mr. Futrell and Mr. Cozort.  Voting against the motion were Mr. Leavitt and Mr. Hart.  Motion carried.

Ms. Rorie then asked Mr. Nichols to present the next item.  Mr. Nichols presented to the Board a letter from Mr. Jorgensen who represents Kennedy Funeral Home who is requesting a motion to reconsider the decision made in the February meeting to revoke his preneed license and transfer the contracts.  Discussion ensued. Mr. Nichols stated the motion should be to discuss the pending litigation and the fact that this is an administrative hearing matter.  Mr. Swaringen made a motion to go into Closed Session to discuss matters of pending litigation.  Mr. Nichols excused himself from the session since he was the attorney for the matter.

Upon proper motion, the Board returned to open session.  Mr. Hart made a motion that the Board hear nothing further reference Kennedy Funeral Home, matter V98-073.  Ms. Rorie seconded and motion carried.

Mr. Nichols commented that two consent orders would need the President’s signature.  The first was the E. F. Drum/Stevenson Consent Order No. V-98-078.  Mr. Cozort made a motion the order be signed when received.  Mr. Swaringen seconded.  Motion passed.  The next was Horton Funeral Home V99-020.  Mr. Cozort made the motion.  Mr. Swaringen seconded.  Motion carried.

Mr. Nichols commented on the Bartlett Order V99-004 and the Pugh Order V99-037.

Personnel: Mr. Leavitt had no report.

Executive Director’s Report: Mr. Ritter has been requested to attend the Mutual Burial Association Legislative Research Committee meeting on March 22 at 1:00.  Mr. Ritter reported that he had included Ms. Culbreth’s listing of the 1999 complaint statistics.  Seventy-three cases had been handled from start to finish in 1999.  Mr. Ritter had also included a letter from Larry Stegall with the North Carolina Funeral Director’s Association to Mr. Weisel; a copy of the computerized signatures for the new licenses; and a map to the North Carolina Museum of History for any member wishing to view the exhibit  “Remember Me When I’m Gone.”

Old Business: Mr. Futrell commented to Mr. Nichols that  he had asked Mr. Weisel to look at a web site that was set up to preplan cremations over the web and he was advised that was being looked into.

New Business: None

Mr. Harris, NCFDA liaison, reported that he and Mr. Ritter had attended the NCFDA Board Meeting in Southern Pines on March 7 to give them an update on the Board and the meeting was beneficial.  Mr. Ritter noted that NCFDA would like to co-sponsor continuing education classes with the Board in the future.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned.

	Michael M. McGhee, President
	Paul Harris, Secretary