ATLANTA - Georgia's crematory law takes effect on July 1 -- making it a felony to abandon a corpse. <br>
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The law also requires toe tags to be placed on corpses intended for cremation, not just those intended for burial. <br>
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The new law closes a loophole that allowed Tri-State Crematory in Walker County to operate for years without a state inspection. <br>
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Officials say more than 300 bodies sent to the rural crematory were instead dumped around the property. The abuse wasn't discovered for years because the crematory was not open to the public and therefore not subject to regular inspections. <br>
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The law -- one of 150 approved last session -- requires periodic inspections of all crematories and allows for random surprise inspections.