Senator Murdock Coauthors House Bill 3660, Slams ‘Absurd’ Misinformation Campaign

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senator Casey Murdock, R-Felt, will present House Bill 3660 in the Senate Business and Insurance Committee on Thursday in spite of rhetoric from a deeply misinformed lawmaker who continues to spread blatant lies about this legislation.

“A review of that freshman lawmaker’s legislation shows a pattern of trying to burden Oklahomans with more regulations,” Murdock said. “Now, he appears intent on having the state regulate Oklahomans even after death.”

Murdock urged the media and national commentators to do their homework before giving a platform to those intentionally misrepresenting this bill to gain attention.

Authored by Rep. Eddy Dempsey, R-Valliant, House Bill 3660 legalizes Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), a controlled, eco-friendly funeral alternative for Oklahoma’s funeral home industry. This legislation gives Oklahomans another funeral option to pay tribute and create a living memorial for a lost loved one.

The bill explicitly categorizes NOR as a licensed funeral service, providing grieving families with a dignified, lower-cost option while strictly prohibiting the resulting material from being used in food production or commercial fertilizer.”

“The rhetoric surrounding this bill is absurd,” Senator Murdock said. “If we believe in free markets, we must support families who want options and flexibility while grieving a lost loved one. Funerals are cost prohibitive for many families. This measure provides a much cheaper alternative to a loved one during a family’s most difficult time. The measure includes guardrails and criminal penalties if this material is used in food production. If this legislation becomes law, these guardrails will ensure this proposal has the strongest oversight in the nation. Those who continue to criticize this measure are intentionally uninformed, unserious and just lying about this bill because they’re desperate for social media clicks."

The Facts on House Bill 3660:

• Provides market-driven choice by expanding consumer options in the funeral industry to lower costs for Oklahomans;
• Strict oversight will require licensure through the Oklahoma Funeral Board with rigorous statutory obligations;
• Unmatched protections that will include the most comprehensive guardrails in the nation, backed by criminal penalties for any misuse of the process; and
• The proven process uses heat, water and organic material to convert the remains.

“Oklahoma families deserve the freedom to say goodbye to their loved ones in the manner they see fit and in accordance with their loved one’s wishes,” Murdock continued. "This legislation simply gives those families another option to consider as they explore funeral planning."

By passing House Bill 3660, Oklahoma would join 14 other states, including Georgia, Arizona and Nevada in modernizing burial laws. Another eight states, including Iowa, Missouri, West Virginia and Ohio, are also considering legislation on this subject.

If HB 3660 becomes law, it would be the strictest, most carefully defined NOR law in the nation.

The bill will be heard in the Senate Business and Insurance Committee on Thursday.

“The Bible reminds us about the circle of life and that we all return to the earth from which we came,” Murdock added. “‘For dust you are and to dust you will return.’ As a lifelong rancher, I am tied to my land, and like so many Oklahomans who work it, I know the value of giving back to the soil. HB 3660 simply allows the Oklahomans who wish to return to their land after death to do so, setting the stage for trees or flowers to grow in their memory.”

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