The state legislature today (Wednesday) is expected to vote on legislation to regulate the now-largely unregulated business of running cemeteries.
In the aftermath of the Burr Oak Cemetery fiasco, everyone wants to get in on the regulating.
A set of proposals emerged late Tuesday out of Comptroller Dan Hynes' office, drafted with members of the Legislative Black Caucus and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. State Senate President John Cullerton and Gov. Quinn also are involved.
The highlights include:
- requiring all cemetery staff who sell plots to be licensed, just like doctors, barbers and cosmetologists.
- requiring cemeteries to provide "reasonable maintenance."
- requiring cemeteries to keep detailed maps and records and to file them with the county recorder of deeds.
- creating a consumer bill of rights.
For more detail check out Hynes' press release:
http://www.ioc.state.il.us/news/viewnewsrelease.cfm?id=2070837254
What do you think? Are these good ideas or will the rush to clean up after Burr Oak leave us with laws we don't need?
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Well it's good to see the state legislature is jumping on this problem but unfortunately it's too late for people like me whose father, grandfather and step-grandmother who are buried (or was) at Burr-Oaks. When will government agencies learn how to be proactive instead of being forced to be reactive? Of course there's always people that come out and admit they tried to raise a flag about a potential problem but are told it would cost to much to fix, be politically incorrect or difficult to implement, etc. There's probably some relatives of legislators affected by the Burr-Oaks incident as the reason it's being addressed so quickly.