SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - State Senator Doris Turner is outlining a plan to hold funeral homes accountable following the mishandling of human remains at a funeral home in Carlinville.
>>Funeral home operators could face felony charges for mishandling remains under new bill
“The status quo isn’t working,” said Turner (D-Springfield). “These are people who deserve dignity and respect. This legislation will ensure that no family will have to worry that the death of their loved ones aren’t handled with dignity and respect.”
Senate Bill 2643 would require the death care industry in the state as well as state regulators to implement a mandatory identification tagging system for all human remains. It also would establish a chain of custody system that tracks the human remains of a deceased person whose death occurred in the state from death to final disposition, if the final disposition is in Illinois.
The measure would put procedures and protocols in place to prevent the misidentification and misplacement of bodies or human remains and conduct that results in a method of final disposition that differs from what is stipulated by the deceased individual or the deceased’s next of kin.
“This proposed legislation will help assure families that their voices were heard, after being victimized by these egregious acts. The reestablishing integrity in death care act will hold individuals who are responsible for taking care of our loved and lost to a higher standard,” said Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon. “Mandating universal identification of the deceased and establishing a chain of custody will help give the families of the deceased reassurance that their loved ones will be handled appropriately and given the dignity they deserve.”
Senate Bill 2643 is awaiting a hearing from the Senate Executive Committee.
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