Sangamon Sun

New legislation has been introduced by Republicans in response to a disturbing incident involving a funeral home in Carlinville, Illinois. The legislation aims to address the mishandling of human remains and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

The story that prompted this legislation involved a funeral home in Carlinville that repeatedly mishandled human remains, including providing the wrong remains to grieving families. The incident came to light when Sangamon County coroner Jim Allmon launched an investigation into the funeral home in the fall of 2023.

The investigation revealed that the funeral home had provided more than 60 families with the wrong remains, with some remains being permanently lost. Additionally, bodies were found to have been improperly stored, leading to decomposition in unrefrigerated settings.

In response to these shocking revelations, Senator Steve McClure, Representative Mike Coffey, and Representative Wayne Rosenthal have unveiled new legislation to prevent such mishandling of human remains. Senator McClure emphasized the importance of treating human remains with dignity and respect, stating, "This legislation is designed to make sure human remains are treated with the serious dignity and respect that are required, that bereaved families are treated fairly, and that anyone who violates the law is punished accordingly."

Representative Rosenthal expressed his support for the legislation, recognizing the lasting grief experienced by the families impacted by the funeral home's actions. He stated, "I fully support Senator McClure's legislation and will be filing identical legislation in the House to ensure no family has to ever endure suffering like all the families affected by these criminal acts."

Echoing this sentiment, Representative Coffey highlighted the need to pass legislation that protects families and deters criminal practices within funeral homes. He emphasized that proper authorities failed many families by not acting quickly on the allegations against the funeral home director.

The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 3263, would make it a Class 4 Felony to knowingly and intentionally provide inaccurate documentation of the identity of human remains, store human remains in violation of Illinois law, or provide misidentified human remains. The law would apply to all individuals authorized to treat, transport, or store human remains, including funeral homes and crematoriums.

Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon expressed gratitude for the introduction of this legislation, stating, "After working with dozens of people that were victimized by these egregious acts it was clear that there needed to be some common sense legislation introduced to help prevent or deter this from happening again."

The legislation introduced by Senator McClure, Representative Coffey, and Representative Rosenthal seeks to address the mishandling of human remains and ensure that families are not further victimized during their time of sorrow. The proposed laws aim to hold accountable those who violate the proper handling and identification of human remains and provide a deterrent against future criminal practices within funeral homes.

Source: [Capitol News Illinois](https://capitolnewsillinois.com/NEWS/for-at-least-6-months-state-failed-to-act-on-carlinville-funeral-director-that-mishandled-remains)