By J.B. Smith

Tribune-Herald staff writer

The Texas Funeral Services Commission today will hold a public hearing in Waco regarding the right of relatives to visit family graves on land they don’t own.

The meeting will be at 1 p.m. at Room 101 in the Health and Physical Education Building at McLennan Community College, 1400 College Drive.

The public is invited to comment on new rules that clarify laws regarding access to cemeteries, said Funeral Services Commission executive director Chet Robbins.

He said that under Section 711.041 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, relatives have the right to visit cemeteries during reasonable hours, even if the graves are on private land.

“The issue is that families are being denied access many times,” he said. “There are some cemeteries that have not been visited by people in 20 to 30 years.”

He said proposed new rules would clarify the law, stipulating that visiting hours would be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and prohibiting landowners from demanding that relatives get liability insurance before visiting the property.

The meeting is being held in Waco partly because the commission has heard of access issues in this area and because of concerns about access to First Street Cemetery, where the Texas Ranger Museum has excavated graves for an expansion.

jbsmith@wacotrib.com

757-5752