ICCFA Wireless is a bi-weekly electronic newsletter bringing members of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association the latest government and legal, industry and association news. It is available to all ICCFA members current on their dues. Comments, questions and "hot news tips" are welcome. Write to: hq@iccfa.com.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
FTC Would Need 5 Full-Time Staffers, $1 Million Annually, to Implement H.R. 3655, Bereaved Consumers Act
 The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the non-partisan staff that calculates the funding needs of proposed federal legislation, has published its costs estimates of H.R. 3655, the Bereaved Consumers Bill of Rights Act. "Based on information from the FTC [Federal Trade Commission], CBO assumes that the agency would require five additional staff positions at a cost of about $1 million per year to develop and enforce the new requirements, train staff, and develop additional materials…. Enacting H.R. 3655 could affect revenues from collection of civil penalties; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply." This means that Congress could not simply add another million dollars to the FTC annual budget, but must show where the additional funds are coming from. The two typical sources are by either cutting funds for other programs or by raising taxes. The CBO stated that revenue collected from penalties for violations of H.R. 3655 "would not be significant in any year."
The CBO report also discussed the compliance costs incurred by the private sector: "Most providers and retailers of funeral goods or services are already in compliance with many of the mandates contained in the legislation through compliance with state law or current industry standards. Based on information from industry professionals and on data on the cost of compliance from the FTC, CBO estimates that the additional compliance costs for these mandates would be small relative to the annual threshold for private-sector mandates." It is noteworthy that CBO acknowledges existing compliance with the requirements of H.R. 3655, thus suggesting that the legislation is irrelevant and unnecessary. The CBO report can be viewed at www.iccfa.com/files/HR3655CBOCostEstimate.pdf.
H.R. 3655 was passed by a voice vote of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on July 21 and is awaiting a full House vote, although to date the bill has not been added to the House schedule. The ICCFA testified in opposition to the bill and has rallied additional opposition from numerous industry trade associations, within and outside of the cemetery and funeral industries. Last week, approximately 400 members of the National Association of Towns and Townships (NATaT) met with their Congressional representatives on Capitol Hill to express their opposition to H.R. 3655. ICCFA General Counsel Robert M. Fells was a speaker at the NATaT Conference last Wednesday in Washington, DC.
Tax Relief Coalition Petitions Congress to Extend All Bush-Era Tax Cuts Expiring December 31
The Bush Administration income tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 are due to automatically expire on December 31, unless Congress passes new legislation to extend these savings into 2011 and beyond. To date, much debate and discussion has occurred but no Congressional action. President Obama has urged Congress to extend the tax cuts, with the exception of "high-income" taxpayers, which he defines as individuals earning more than $200,000 annually or married couples earning more than $250,000.
However, the nonpartisan Tax Foundation has published a report indicating that approximately 39 percent of the tax increase on high-income taxpayers would come from business income. The higher taxes are estimated at $630 billion in revenue, meaning that $246 billion in taxes would come from business income over a ten-year period. About one-third of all business taxes are paid by owners of flow-through businesses such as sole proprietorships, partnerships and S corporations that file individual tax returns.
The ICCFA, through its partnership in the Tax Relief Coalition (TRC), has contacted all members of the House of Representatives to urge legislative action to extend all the 2001 and 2003 tax rate reductions. The TRC represents more than 1,000 trade associations, corporations and advocacy groups numbering over 1.8 million businesses and millions of individuals. According to the TRC, "There is ample evidence that a bipartisan majority of the House would support a clean bill extending all current tax rates to ensure that no American faces a tax increase in this difficult economic environment." For more information, go to www.iccfa.com/files/TaxCoalitionSept2010.pdf.
ICCFA NEWS
Annual Convention & Expo Keynotes: Applying Outside Expertise to Your Business
The ICCFA's 2011 Annual Convention & Exposition offers three keynote addresses to help guide your business to "A Bright Future:"
- Apple brand evangelist, entrepreneur and author Guy Kawasaki will examine the process cemeteries and funeral homes need to undergo if they are to reinvent themselves and their ability to serve the marketplace of tomorrow. He'll use his experience working with Apple and studying dozens of world-class companies to lay out the strategic steps needed to create new products and services, and he'll provide specific examples of how to do this within our industry.
- "Long Fuse, Big Bang" author Eric Haseltine will show you how to become a "visionary," how to refocus and redefine the business realities that exist right in front of you and how to turn perceived threats into opportunities. He'll examine specific issues facing our industry and challenge you to re-envision them to achieve both short- and long-term advantages in the marketplace.
- Consultant and speaker Juliet Funt will share simple yet powerful strategies to help you create the "white space" you need to become more effective, efficient and energized in your daily work life.
The Convention, March 8-11 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV, will be the association's largest ever and will feature:
- Cremation Coaching Center LIVE!: In the cremation "game," there will be winners and there will be losers. In this first-of-its-kind interactive educational experience, our cremation coaches will help you and your staff develop the strategy and skills you need to succeed in cremation operations, arrangements and administration. Co-chairs: Julie Burn and Poul Lemasters.
- Breakout sessions on topics that most affect your business: marketing to boomers, management solutions, effective hiring, technology, embalming and more.
- More than 400 exhibit booths
- Second Annual PLPA Conference
- Networking luncheons, receptions and dinner
- Earn continuing education credits
- Free food & drinks in the Expo hall
- KIP Awards presentation
and much, much more. MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!
The exhibitor prospectus is available online now. Registration and full program information will be available later this year.
What Will Your Company Look Like in 2017?
What will your company look like in seven years? Will you have multiple locations and be a regional powerhouse? Will you remain the same size? Will you shrink? Will your company exist in 2017? Will you kick yourself because you could have attended the 2010 Fall Management Conference and had the opportunity to have two of the world's top authorities on business strategy and management share their expertise on creating and implementing a strategic plan, but you didn't?
Don't miss this year's ICCFA Fall Management Conference, October 27-30 at Camelback Inn Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona.
On the first day of the conference, John Austin, Ph.D., senior consultant in executive development for Decision Strategies International and an instructor for senior executives at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, Georgetown University and Duke Corporate Education, will present a three-hour session on strategic planning. Based on a pre-conference industry-wide survey as well as in-depth interviews and study group sessions with some of the profession's top thought leaders, Austin will develop an exclusive "scenario report" with a seven year outlook for the cemetery, cremation and funeral service industry. He will present a one-hour keynote address on scenario-based strategic planning, followed by a two-hour workshop session in which he will facilitate a planning session using the scenarios in the report.
On day two of the conference, William Malek, strategy execution officer for Strategy2Reality LLC, former program director for Stanford University's Advanced Project Management program and author of "Executing Your Strategy: How to Break it Down & Get It Done," will conduct an interactive, experiential session on strategy execution. He'll share his expertise on how to take a strategic plan from idea to action, including topics such as recognizing necessary change, avoiding poor planning and understanding and communicating strategic goals.
The conference program will be rounded out on the final day with a presentation by employee benefits expert Scott Morsch on how the new health care laws and the choices employers make with regard to those laws will affect their companies, as well as a panel discussion on the government and legal issues facing the profession.
In addition to the educational sessions, the Fall Management Conference offers excellent opportunities for informal idea sharing, including the Fall Management Golf Tournament and several evening receptions.
 The ICCFA has secured a discount rate at the The J.W. Marriott Camelback Inn Resort & Spa of $235 per night. Please make your hotel reservation soon as rooms are going quickly. You may do this through the resort's Web site at www.camelbackinn.com or by calling 1.800.582.2169.
For complete program details and registration materials, visit www.iccfa.com or call 1.800.645.7700.
Download the registration form here or register online here. PLEASE NOTE: To register online, you must enter the exact, complete and correct billing address for the credit card you enter for payment or you will receive an error message. Please make sure you have this information handy before you proceed with your registration. Thank you!
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THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS!
Matthews International • Service Corporation International • StoneMor Partners LP • Batesville Casket Company • Forethought Financial Services • Stewart Enterprises • Wilbert Funeral Services • Cold Spring Memorial Group • Johnson Consulting Group • Lincoln Heritage Funeral Planning • Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries • Riviera Tailors Ltd. • Carriage Services • Aurora Casket Company Inc. • IMSA • Merendino Cemetery Care • Trigard • HMIS • J. Stuart Todd, Inc. • Independence Trust Company • Milne Construction Company • Gibraltar Remembrance Services
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2011 Wide World of Sales: Online Registration Now Open
The ICCFA Wide World of Sales Conference, January 12-14, 2011, at Bally's Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, offers you and your staff an opportunity to retool, re-envision and recharge your sales program in 2011. Whatever your reason for attending the conference, you'll find training sessions filled with useful, practical tools you can take back to your office and implement immediately.
Join us for the world's largest sales & marketing conference for death care professionals, featuring:
- Internationally renowned keynote speakers Noah Rickun and "The Sales Whisperer" Wes Schaeffer
- Sessions on strategic marketing, social media & online leads, branding, sales strategy, setting & meeting goals, and more!
- Two solid days of educational seminars offering practical tools and techniques for boosting sales
- ICCFA take-home binder filled with handouts and "how to" instructions
- Registration directory of all attendees to facilitate networking with more than 300 of the best industry sales counselors and managers from around the world
- Wednesday evening Welcome Reception
- Opportunity for counselors to participate in our "Speed Sales" session: 10 solid sales ideas shared in a "speed dating" format
- A special Thursday networking and motivational luncheon with Gary O'Sullivan
- A chance to win cash and prizes
- and much more!
Register online today or download the registration form here. You may now make your hotel reservation at Bally's. Bally's Las Vegas is offering attendees the discounted room rate of $149 per night for single/double occupancy (a decrease of $29 from last year's hotel rate). To make your reservation, please call 1.800.358.8777 and identify yourself as an ICCFA attendee.
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THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS!
Service Corporation International • Forethought Financial Group Inc. • Homesteaders Life Company • Matthews International • Assurant Solutions • North Star Management Group • Arbor Memorial Services Inc. • Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company • Gibraltar Remembrance Services
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PLPA Issues Definitions & Standards for Pet Cremation
 The Pet Loss Professionals Alliance has released "Definitions and Standards for the Cremation of Companion Animals," its first in a series of documents aimed at establishing a set of guidelines for pet loss providers. The document was developed by the PLPA Standards & Ethics Committee and provides definitions of the terms private cremation, partitioned cremation and communal cremation, among other terms. Click here to download the document now.
- TO BUY/SELL
- POSITIONS AVAILABLE
- Cemetery Sales Professionals (Jacksonville, FL)
- Sales Management Professional (Michigan)
- Top Sales Director Needed (New York)
- Sales Manager Openings (Florida)
- Experience Cemetery Sales Managers (Philadelphia/Delaware Co./Chester Co., PA)
- Experience Sales Professionals (National)
- Funeral Director (Terre Haute, IN)
- Funeral Director (Jacksonville, FL)
- Funeral Director (Houston, TX)
- Maintenance Supervisor (SW Florida)
- Top Sales Positions Available (Pittsburgh, PA area)
- Great Opportunity & New Approach to Sales (Kentucky)
- Sales Manager (Montana)
- Sales Professionals (Florida)
- Insyte Cemetery Consulting (New York)
- Embalmer (El Paso, TX)
- Funeral Director/Embalmer (Corpus Christi, TX)
- Cemetery Sales Manager (Central Florida)
- Sales Management (IL, OH, LA, MS, WV, AR, MO, KY, TN, NJ, MD, DE & PA)
Place your classified advertisement with ICCFA today!
member benefits
ICCFA Supply Link Allows Easy Buyer's Guide Searching
The ICCFA Supply Link, an online buyer's guide members can use to easily search for products and services from the convenience of their computers, can be accessed directly from the ICCFA home page. The Supply Link offers a "Search" function whereby members can search according to product type or company name and can be limited to a state or to a certain radius distance from a specified city or ZIP code. Users also can narrow their search to include only ICCFA-member companies. Suppliers that are ICCFA members and exhibitors are identified as such in their listings.
Discounts at FuneralReview.com and Dignity University
The ICCFA has partnered with FuneralReview.Com to provide online continuing education at a discount for members. Founded in 2002, FuneralReview.Com is North America's largest provider of online continuing education courses designed specifically for funeral directors, embalmers and preneed counselors. ICCFA members are being provided a code for use in obtaining a discount on the site's funeral courses.
All funeral courses at FuneralReview.com are approved by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice. ICCFA members in good standing can log in using a special code to receive a discounted price on the funeral service courses. If you have not yet received your code or have misplaced it, call the ICCFA at 1.800.645.7700. For more information, visit www.funeralreview.com.
The ICCFA also offers low-cost online training on a variety of OSHA topics through a partnership with Dignity University. To access the 23 OSHA courses, visit http://online.ecampustraining.com/Dignityu/.
ICCFA News Page
The ICCFA News Page takes you to sources throughout the world for industry news and updates. It brings you the most comprehensive selection of funeral service and cemetery news available anywhere, along with frequently updated general news items related to national and world events. The News Page reports the news before anyone else and is one of the most visited page on the ICCFA Web site. Stop in each day and you'll see why.
Music Licensing
The 2009 Music Licenses are available for just $248 per property, no additional fees. Covers ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Any U.S. funeral home, cemetery or related business is eligible for membership as a Music License Member. Licensing directly with the agencies this year would cost nearly $600 per location, so this price—which requires no additional membership fee—is still the lowest available to the industry.
Tax-Related Questions
ICCFA members now also have access to an attorney for tax-related questions regarding trust earnings, care fund allocations, capital gains, investments and more. The ICCFA has retained Leslie Schneider, CPA, a tax attorney with Ivins, Phillips & Barker in Washington, DC, for telephone consultations for up to 20 minutes with no obligation. To take advantage of this member benefit, call Schneider at 202.393.7600.
ICCFA Insurance Program
Administered by Alliant Insurance Services, this program allows members to purchase commercial property and casualty insurance—including general liability, commercial property, automobile liability and physical damage, umbrella liability, professional liability, workers compensation, employee benefits and more—at rates they probably would not be able to afford on
their own. For details, call 800.390.9099.
HR Law Benefit
Through an unprecedented new benefit program, ICCFA members can now access free legal consultations regarding labor relations, human resource management and employment law. Attorney Michael Pepperman of the Labor Relations and Employment Law department at Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP (ORM&H), is available to address questions on topics ranging from hiring and firing, to employee privacy and workplace violence, to wages and hours, to equal employment opportunity and wrongful discharge issues. Michael Pepperman, Esq., has spoken on labor and employment issues at several ICCFA conferences and regional industry meetings. To take advantage of this benefit, please call 215.665.3032.
ICCFA Introduces New Sales Training Programs
ICCFA introduces new sales training programs by sales trainer and professional speaker Gary O'Sullivan, CCE. O'Sullivan's two latest products include a 10 DVD Series—The Power to Sell Preneed, and a training support system called the GoSell System. Both products provide sales managers with tools and training strategies that will help them to strengthen and motivate their teams. For more details or to place an order, call the ICCFA at 800.645.7700.
ICCFA Internet Expo
The ICCFA Internet Expo is the largest online exposition in the cemetery and funeral service industry. Cemetery and funeral home owners and operators will find 300+ providers in more than 100 product and service categories. Exhibit space is provided as a free, exclusive benefit to all ICCFA supplier and professional members. Check it out today!
Fraud Prevention & Detection Consultation Service
ICCFA has retained the services of veteran fraud investigator Robert A. Garvey Jr., CPA, CFE, CrFA, CVA, to serve as a consultative resource for members' employee theft and fraud concerns. The new member benefit, the "Fraud Investigation and Deterrence Consultation Service" or FIDCS, will allow members to discuss by telephone any issues or concerns related to suspected fraudulent activity or a desire to put systems and controls in place at their locations to deter such activity. There is no cost to ICCFA members in good standing to utilize this benefit. The number to call is 866.649.1902.
Legal Advice on Cremation Concerns
Courtesy of the ICCFA Government and Legal Fund, ICCFA members now have access to pre-paid legal advice on cremation-related issues. Through this exclusive member benefit, the association has retained Poul H. Lemasters, Esq., of Lemasters Consulting in Cincinnati, Ohio. Poul is an attorney and licensed funeral director, and members in good standing may call him at 513.407.8114 to discuss cremation concerns for up to 20 minutes at no charge.
FTC 'Red Flag' Compliance Program
ICCFA now offers members a sample compliance program concerning new Federal Trade Commission rules to fight identity theft. To have the program template sent to you, please contact us at 800.645.7700 or rfells@iccfa.com.
GPL Compliance Check
Members whose businesses must follow the FTC Funeral Rule's General Price List (GPL) requirements can have their lists reviewed for compliance by attorney Poul H. Lemasters, Esq., without charge. Contact Lemasters at 513.407.8114.
CONTACT US
International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association
107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100
Sterling, VA 20164
1.800.645.7700
703.391.8400
Fax: 703.391.8416
www.iccfa.com
Copyright 2010, International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association
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