Photo by Alicia Christin Gerald on Unsplash
After passing the PA House by a vote of 199-0 in late March, the Companion Animal Cremation Consumer Protection Act moves to the State Senate. Initiated by Representative Brandon Markosek (D-25), the bill is co-sponsored by an additional 19 Democrat and Republican lawmakers.
The legislation, which would create protections for pet owners by regulating the pet cremation industry in Pennsylvania, comes after Allegheny County funeral director Patrick Vereb of Eternity Pet Memorials in Pittsburgh was accused of disposing the remains of more than 6,500 pets in landfills, between 2021 and 2024, instead of cremating them. Pet owners then received the remains of unknown pets.
Vereb was charged with Deceptive Business Practices and Theft by Deception in April 2025. The former funeral director is set to return to court, after a continuance request by Vereb’s defense attorney in late January, on June 3, 2026.
The Companion Animal Cremation Consumer Protection Act will ensure individuals and facilities performing cremations will “preserve the dignity of the animals’ remains.” Businesses will be required to provide pet owners with a written description of the cremation services, including defining the types of cremation (private, individual-partitioned, and communal) available, issue a cremation certificate, for those choosing private or individual-partitioned cremation, with the type and date of the cremation; and maintain records for a minimum of three years.
Failure to abide by the legislation, if it succeeds, may lead to a written warning and after two violations will result in the business or individual having their Dead Domestic Animal Business License suspended or revoked by the Department of Agriculture.
“Anyone with a pet knows that they are a part of our family, and they deserve to be treated with dignity, especially in death,” Markosek said in a Memo to House Members on May 15, 2025.
“We at the state level must step up and pass legislation to ensure that improper disposals of pets never happen again without the funeral home facing serious consequences.”
The Companion Animal Cremation Consumer Protection Act has since been referred to the Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee in the PA State Senate.
