SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Illinois will look to ease the financial and emotional burden for families who lost children to gun violence through a new law.
Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Funeral and Burial Assistance Act into law Tuesday. Qualifying families will be able to receive up to $10,000 in assistance - an amount slightly above the national average cost of funeral and burial services. These funds can be paid directly to funeral and cemetery establishments.
“We have a responsibility to the families in Illinois who go through the tremendous pain of burying their child after fatal gun incidents,” said State Sen. Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago). “While we legislators continue to provide resources and opportunities that prevent and reduce the violence in our communities, we must support the victims of these crimes by streamlining the assistance process for those in need.”
Collins added this measure is "especially important" for marginalized populations who experience deadly gun violence at disproportionate rates.
“It is extremely unfortunate how often gun violence impacts our communities, and it is even more tragic that low-income families struggle to withstand the hardships of gun violence, which is why I am proud to have carried this measure to completion," she said.
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