Bill to require tagging for human remains passes House

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A bill to further regulate the funeral home industry has passed one of the chambers in the Illinois statehouse.

The proposal filed in November by State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield) would require creating a tagging system with chain of custody documentation for all human remains for any death that happens in Illinois. The bill passed the House unanimously Tuesday.

The hope of the bill is to ensure all families receive the right remains. In September, Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon announced his office was opening an investigation into Heinz Funeral Home/Family Care Cremations in Carlinville after dozens of families were given the wrong cremains. August Heinz, the funeral director for Heinz, has since had his license for embalming and funeral directing revoked by the state.

“It was like doing it all over again”: Woman finds out she was given wrong ashes by Carlinville funeral home

The bill now heads to the Illinois Senate for a quick concurrence vote before it reaches the governor’s desk, due to a minor amendment made in the Illinois House of Representatives. The previous version of the bill passed the Senate unanimously too.

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