If a cemetery authority is duly organized and desires to accept care funds authorized by the Endowed Care Cemetery Act, it shall make an initial deposit to the care fund of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000). In lieu of the initial deposit, the cemetery authority may furnish a surety bond issued by a bonding company or insurance company authorized to do business in this state in the face amount of thirty-five thousand dollars ($35,000), and the bond shall run to the trustee for the benefit of the care funds held by the trustee. This bond shall be for the purpose of guaranteeing an accumulation of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) in the care fund and also for the purpose of assuring that the cemetery authority shall provide annual endowed care in an amount equal to the annual reasonable return on a secured cash investment of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) until that amount is accumulated in the care funds, and these shall be the conditions of the surety bond; provided, however, the liability of the principal and surety on the bond shall in no event exceed thirty-five thousand dollars ($35,000). Provided further that whenever a cemetery authority which has made an initial deposit to the care fund demonstrates to the satisfaction of the director that more than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) has been accumulated in the care fund, the cemetery authority may petition the director for an order allowing the cemetery authority to begin to withdraw its deposit from the care fund, so long as at least twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) always remains in the care fund.
History: 1953 Comp., § 67-29-11, enacted by Laws 1961, ch. 156, § 11; 1981, ch. 192, § 3; 2001, ch. 149, § 11.
The 2001 amendment, effective July 1, 2001, increased all dollar amounts in the section by five thousand; and in the third sentence, substituted "annual endowed care" for "annual perpetual or endowment care".
Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 14 Am. Jur. 2d Cemeteries § 6.
14 C.J.S. Cemeteries § 10.
Structure New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 58 - Financial Institutions and Regulations
Article 17 - Endowed Care of Cemeteries
Section 58-17-1 - Declaration of policy.
Section 58-17-2 - Short title.
Section 58-17-3 - Definitions.
Section 58-17-4 - Gifts and contributions; care funds; trust funds.
Section 58-17-5 - Loans by cemeteries.
Section 58-17-6 - Instrument regarding care to be furnished by cemetery authority.
Section 58-17-7 - Representations regarding care and maintenance to be furnished.
Section 58-17-8 - Care funds not subject to tax.
Section 58-17-9 - Compliance with law required.
Section 58-17-10 - Registration with director.
Section 58-17-11 - Deposit or bond of endowed care cemeteries.
Section 58-17-12 - Display of signs.
Section 58-17-13 - Enforcement of provisions of act by director.
Section 58-17-14 - Proceedings in case of law violations.
Section 58-17-15 - Disposition of care funds upon dissolution.
Section 58-17-16 - Violations; punishment.
Section 58-17-18 - Establishing a cemetery authority.
Section 58-17-19 - Transfer of ownership.
Section 58-17-20 - Denial, suspension or revocation of registration.