Section 34-13-130 Apprentice Requirements; Application; Course of Apprenticeship.

(a) Every person desiring to engage as an apprentice shall satisfy all of the following: (1) Make application as a funeral director’s apprentice or an embalmer’s apprentice to the board upon a form provided by the board. The applicant shall submit to the board a form, sworn to by the applicant, that contains the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of the applicant, and two complete sets of fingerprints for completion of a criminal history background check. The board shall submit the fingerprints to the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency for a state criminal history record check. The fingerprints shall be forwarded by the agency to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history record check. Costs associated with conducting a criminal history background check shall be paid by the applicant. The board shall keep information received pursuant to this subsection confidential, except that information received and relied upon in denying the issuance of an apprentice certification may be disclosed if necessary to support the denial. (2) Be over the age of 18. (3) Hold a high school certificate or the equivalent. (4) Be of good moral character. (b) Each application shall be verified by the oath of the applicant and be accompanied by a fee to be established by the board, not to exceed fifty dollars ($50). (c) The executive director, whenever it appears to him or her that no reason exists for the denial of an application and that the application is regular upon its face, may issue to the applicant a certificate of apprenticeship without submitting the application to the board. If, however, any doubt exists as to the qualifications of the applicant, the application shall be submitted to the board and may be accepted or rejected by a majority of the board. (d) The course of an apprenticeship shall be in accordance with this chapter or prescribed by rule of the board and performed in Alabama under the supervision of a funeral director or embalmer licensed by the board.