Late last week we received this press release that indicates that Park Lawn Corporation acquired eight stand-alone funeral homes in locations spanning the greater Oklahoma City market.  It represents Park Lawn’s entrance into the state of Oklahoma.

The press release announced “Park Lawn Corporation is pleased to announce that, effective December 1^st, it acquired substantially all of the assets of Service Group of Oklahoma (SGOK), a group of businesses consisting of eight stand-alone funeral homes with locations spanning the greater Oklahoma City market.”

Jennifer W. Hay, CEO of Park Lawn made the following prepared comment in the press release about the transaction, “Entering Oklahoma marks an exciting milestone in our growth strategy. These eight locations have deep ties to the communities they serve, and we’re proud to support their continued tradition of excellence.  We are pleased to welcome Chad Vice, John Davenport and the entire SGOK team to Park Lawn.  Their passion, expertise and commitment to service make them an outstanding addition to our organization.”

You can access the Park Lawn Corporation website here.  

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  Acquiring eight established funeral homes around one major city in the United States will certainly add to the numbers of Park Lawn Corporation.  From my point of view, and this is only an anecdotal observation, it seems to me that the large national acquisition and operating companies have almost completely moved on from acquisitions in what I would call Regional Centers and are very much concentrating on what I would term mid-major and major cities almost exclusively.

That strategy makes sense. . . . . the numbers of deaths and the economies of scale make those communities very attractive to the large scale companies that can raise the combination of capital and secure the debt that it takes to acquire them.  It also allows for future “bolt-on” acquisitions in the future that can make those markets even more profitable for the operators.

If that is the strategy it leaves a lot of great communities and their funeral homes, probably outside of America’s largest 50 markets, available for acquisition by the next tier of consolidators — those that compete in a more regional sphere.  That’s good news for those operators.

While the brand names of the eight funeral homes acquired were not listed in the Park Lawn press release, here are the websites of those funeral homes that we believe may be included in the acquisition.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

Oklahoma House Bill #1029 which would have extended the “Sunset of the Oklahoma Funeral Board” for one year, among other issues, was vetoed when it reached Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s desk.

Update — After this article was written the Oklahoma legislature went back to work and passed House Bill 2286 which extends the Oklahoma Funeral Board until 2029.  Governor Stitt did not sign nor veto that bill letting it silently become law.  We are continuing to run this Funeral Director Daily article that was composed before that law passed because the issues of why the Governor vetoed the previous bill are, in my opinion, still relevant.

This article from Oklahoma Public Radio makes this comment about the veto, “The veto cancels a one-year extension of the board’s sunset. State agencies often have sunset dates to ensure they remain necessary and effective.”

That same article also makes this statement, ” (the veto) effectively dissolves the board, and unless other legislation revives it, (Oklahoma Funeral Board executive Tyler) Stiles said it’s unclear who will be in charge of licensing funeral homes, crematories, funeral directors and embalmers.”

Note — New legislation did revive the board as mentioned in the Update.

The following is Governor Stitt’s published reasoning for vetoing the bill:

“Pursuant to the authority vested in me by Section 11 of Article VI of the Oklahoma Constitution, I have vetoed Enrolled House Bill 1029. HB 1029 would extend the life of the Oklahoma Funeral Board—a state agency that, by now, should be consolidated under a more appropriate umbrella. For too long, the Funeral Board has shielded the funeral industry from meaningful competition in the sale of caskets, urns, and other funeral related merchandise and services. These barriers keep prices artificially high for grieving families. Instead of modernizing, the Board has preserved outdated regulations and entangled businesses in unnecessary red tape. Before granting another sunset extension, the Legislature should seriously evaluate where this Board belongs and what its core duties should be. Until the Funeral Board becomes more accountable and responsive to legislative oversight, its continuation should not be rubber-stamped. For these reasons, I have vetoed Enrolled House Bill 1029.”

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  Living in Minnesota I don’t know the full actions behind this bill and the veto.  However, it appears to me that Governor Stitt’s published reasoning portrays a sense that he believes that funeral directors are too protective of their businesses and that that protectionism is interfering with the public consumer’s ability to purchase Death Care choices in a free and open market.

What is great about the freedom in America is that any right or guarantee not expressed, or added to by legislation, in our  country’s founding documents becomes an issue of the individual states. . . . that’s why most funeral home rules and regulations are state regulations.

It’s why in some states you cannot own a cemetery and a funeral home. . . .Or in some states why you cannot serve food in your funeral business. . . . .Or in some states why you need a college degree to practice mortuary science and other states you don’t need that degree. . .  And, I think how those rulings come to be state regulations is important — the decisions are made closer to the people who must abide by them . . . . instead of in Washington, DC.

In my opinion, in today’s day and age when you can purchase almost anything online a regulatory barrier of having to be a licensed funeral home to sell a casket or urn to a consumer would certainly be looked at as a regulation that stifles competition.  It’s probably a rule or regulation that has out-grown its purpose.

If that is one of the issues causing the non-renewal of the funeral licensing board I would suggest that Oklahoma’s funeral homes have a visit with the governor.  Without some type of compromise it looks like Oklahoma may be on its way to non-regulation of the funeral profession and that is certainly not a good look for the profession nor a way to look out for the funeral consumers of Oklahoma.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

Oklahoma Governor Vetoes Extension for State’s Funeral Board, Effectively Dismantling Agency

In a move that is currently rippling through Oklahoma’s deathcare industry, Governor Kevin Stitt has vetoed House Bill 1029, effectively dissolving the Oklahoma Funeral Board—the agency responsible for regulating funeral homes, crematories, embalmers, and funeral directors. This decision leaves the state’s funeral professionals without clear oversight and raising concerns about the future of funeral service standards and consumer protections.

The veto also intersects with ongoing debates over the sale of caskets and other funeral merchandise — namely, Oklahoma’s “protectionist” casket law that prohibits anyone but licensed funeral directors from selling caskets to consumers. This contentious regulation has been in place for more than a century and has been upheld by federal courts in multiple lawsuits.

Creating a regulatory vacuum

The Oklahoma Funeral Board, comprising two full-time and two part-time employees, has been the cornerstone of funeral service regulation in the state. With the veto of HB 1029, the board’s authority is set to expire, and unless new legislation reinstates it, the state could find itself without a regulatory body overseeing funeral services.

Tyler Stiles, the executive director of the Oklahoma Funeral Board, expressed uncertainty about the future.

“I don’t know of any contingency plan of any of these rules going to another agency at this time. I haven’t seen that,” Stiles told Oklahoma’s KOSU news outlet. “So my understanding is anyone could embalm a body or cremate a body without any training or education.”

Brandon Lee, President of the Oklahoma Funeral Directors Association, emphasized the importance of the board’s role.

“The Oklahoma Funeral Board exists for one clear purpose: to protect the public by ensuring that funeral service professionals meet the highest ethical and professional standards,” Lee told KOSU. “This work is not simply bureaucratic. It involves deeply personal and sensitive moments in people’s lives – moments that deserve integrity, compassion, and oversight tailored to the unique nature of our profession.” 

Kudos for the veto?

Governor Stitt’s veto message criticized the Funeral Board for maintaining outdated regulations that hinder competition: 

HB 1029 would extend the life of the Oklahoma Funeral Board— a state agency that, by now, should be consolidated under a more appropriate umbrella. For too long, the Funeral Board has shielded the funeral industry from meaningful competition in the sale of caskets, urns, and other funeral related merchandise and services. These barriers keep prices artificially high for grieving families. Instead of modernizing, the Board has preserved outdated regulations and entangled businesses in unnecessary red tape. Before granting another sunset extension, the Legislature should seriously evaluate where this Board belongs and what its core duties should be. Until the Funeral Board becomes more accountable and responsive to legislative oversight, its continuation should not be rubber-stamped.

The Institute for Justice, a libertarian public interest law firm, applauded the veto, viewing it as a step toward free market reforms in the funeral industry. 

“Creating artificial barriers to selling caskets is akin to creating a death tax for all Oklahomans,” wrote The Institute for Justice Legislative Counsel Sam Hooper on the organization’s website. “Restricting supply drives up prices. In an industry which everyone will eventually encounter, Oklahomans shouldn’t have to pay more when they say their final goodbyes to their loved ones.” 

Hooper also highlighted that Oklahoma’s average funeral costs are about $800 higher than neighboring states, attributing this disparity to restrictive licensure requirements that limit who can sell caskets.

What’s next

While HB 1029’s veto dismantles the current regulatory framework, the Oklahoma Legislature has an opportunity to reshape funeral industry oversight, according to both KOSU and The Institute for Justice. Senate Bill 559, for instance, proposes allowing individuals without a funeral director’s license to sell funeral merchandise directly to the public, potentially reducing costs and increasing consumer choice.

As the state navigates this transitional period, funeral professionals and consumers alike face uncertainty. The dissolution of the Funeral Board raises questions about maintaining service quality and ethical standards in the absence of formal oversight. Simultaneously, the push for deregulation and market competition aims to make funeral services more accessible and affordable.