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Read. Follow. Verify.Indiana House Bill 1240 Legalizes Alkaline Hydrolysis and Directs State Board to Set Facility Rules
Last action · January 5, 2026: First reading: referred to Committee on Commerce, Small Business and Economic DevelopmentSponsors: Mark Genda and 2 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Indiana House Bill 1240 amends state statutes to include as an authorized legal method for dissolving human remains, grouping it alongside traditional cremation. The bill prohibits crematory authorities from requiring a casket for alkaline hydrolysis or refusing unembalmed remains, and directs the state board of funeral and cemetery service to adopt rules by July 1, 2026.
Residents and funeral service providers gain a legally recognized alternative method for disposition of human remains, while facilities become subject to specific operational, permitting, and liquid disposal requirements starting July 1, 2026.
- Alkaline hydrolysis, sometimes referred to as aquamation or water cremation, uses a water and alkali solution under heat and pressure as an alternative to flame-based cremation. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
crematory authorities
Crematory authorities must comply with new operational rules, prohibited practices regarding caskets and unembalmed remains, and liquid waste disposal permitting requirements.
funeral directors
Licensed funeral directors must supervise alkaline hydrolysis procedures in accordance with rules established by the state board.
Key Facts
- Alkaline hydrolysis is legally defined as the dissolution of human remains using water and a chemical solution of potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, or a combination thereof, combined with heat.
- The definition of cremation in multiple Indiana statutes is expanded to include alkaline hydrolysis.
- Crematory authorities are prohibited from requiring human remains to be placed in a casket for alkaline hydrolysis.
- Crematory authorities cannot refuse unembalmed human remains for alkaline hydrolysis solely because they lack embalming.
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- Crematory authorities must obtain all federal, state, and local permits for disposing of any liquid substance remaining after alkaline hydrolysis.
- The state board of funeral and cemetery service must adopt rules to implement alkaline hydrolysis regulations not later than July 1, 2026.
- The act declares an emergency, taking effect upon passage for rule-making requirements, with substantive provisions effective July 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is alkaline hydrolysis under this bill?
Are caskets required for alkaline hydrolysis?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Jan 5, 2026HouseIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development
- Jan 5, 2026HouseCoauthored by Representatives Clere, Hamilton
- Jan 5, 2026HouseAuthored by Representative Genda
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Statutory Cremation Definition
The bill systematically amends multiple chapters across the Indiana Code to ensure that references to cremation and crematories legally encompass alkaline hydrolysis and hydrolyzed remains.
Connected Entities
Sources
iga.in.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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