In 1901, the North Carolina General Assembly created what now is called the North Carolina Board of Funeral Service (the "Board") to regulate the practice of funeral service in North Carolina. As set forth in Chapter 90, Article 13A of the North Carolina General Statutes, the Board serves to safeguard the public health, safety, and welfare of North Carolinians by ensuring that those individuals and entities licensed to practice funeral services in this state are duly qualified. Among the funeral services regulated by the Board is the preneed funeral industry, which enables North Carolina consumers to prepay funeral establishments for their own funerals.