Health and Safety Code §691.023

(a) An officer, employee, or representative of the state, of a political subdivision, or of an institution having charge or control of a body not claimed for burial or a body required to be buried at public expense shall: (1) notify the board or the board's representative of the body's existence when the body comes into the person's possession, charge, or control if notified in writing to do so by the board or the board's representative; (2) deliver the body in accordance with the direction of the board; and (3) allow the board, the board's representative, or a physician designated by the board who complies with this chapter to remove the body to be used for the advancement of medical or forensic science. (b) If the board does not require a political subdivision or agency of the political subdivision to deliver a body under this section, the political subdivision shall pay all costs of preparation for burial, including costs of embalming.