Public Act 094-0561
 
HB1517 Enrolled LRB094 09123 LCB 39353 b

    AN ACT concerning remains.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Disposition of Remains Act.
 
    Section 5. Right to control disposition; priority. Unless a
decedent has left directions in writing for the disposition of
the decedent's remains as provided in Section 65 of the
Crematory Regulation Act or in subsection (a) of Section 40 of
this Act, the following persons, in the priority listed, have
the right to control the disposition, including cremation, of
the decedent's remains and are liable for the reasonable costs
of the disposition:
        (1) the person designated in a written instrument that
    satisfies the provisions of Sections 10 and 15 of this Act;
        (2) any person serving as executor or legal
    representative of the decedent's estate and acting
    according to the decedent's written instructions contained
    in the decedent's will;
        (3) the individual who was the spouse of the decedent
    at the time of the decedent's death;
        (4) the sole surviving competent adult child of the
    decedent, or if there is more than one surviving competent
    adult child of the decedent, the majority of the surviving
    competent adult children; however, less than one-half of
    the surviving adult children shall be vested with the
    rights and duties of this Section if they have used
    reasonable efforts to notify all other surviving competent
    adult children of their instructions and are not aware of
    any opposition to those instructions on the part of more
    than one-half of all surviving competent adult children;
        (5) the surviving competent parents of the decedent; if
    one of the surviving competent parents is absent, the
    remaining competent parent shall be vested with the rights
    and duties of this Act after reasonable efforts have been
    unsuccessful in locating the absent surviving competent
    parent;
        (6) the surviving competent adult person or persons
    respectively in the next degrees of kindred or, if there is
    more than one surviving competent adult person of the same
    degree of kindred, the majority of those persons; less than
    the majority of surviving competent adult persons of the
    same degree of kindred shall be vested with the rights and
    duties of this Act if those persons have used reasonable
    efforts to notify all other surviving competent adult
    persons of the same degree of kindred of their instructions
    and are not aware of any opposition to those instructions
    on the part of one-half or more of all surviving competent
    adult persons of the same degree of kindred;
        (7) in the case of indigents or any other individuals
    whose final disposition is the responsibility of the State
    or any of its instrumentalities, a public administrator,
    medical examiner, coroner, State appointed guardian, or
    any other public official charged with arranging the final
    disposition of the decedent;
        (8) in the case of individuals who have donated their
    bodies to science, or whose death occurred in a nursing
    home or other private institution, who have executed
    cremation authorization forms under Section 65 of the
    Crematory Regulation Act and the institution is charged
    with making arrangements for the final disposition of the
    decedent, a representative of the institution; or
        (9) any other person or organization that is willing to
    assume legal and financial responsibility.
    As used in Section, "adult" means any individual who has
reached his or her eighteenth birthday.
 
    Section 10. Form. The written instrument authorizing the
disposition of remains shall be in substantially the following
form:
 
"APPOINTMENT OF AGENT TO CONTROL DISPOSITION OF REMAINS

 
        I, ................................, being of sound
    mind, willfully and voluntarily make known my desire that,
    upon my death, the disposition of my remains shall be
    controlled by ................... (name of agent) and,
    with respect to that subject only, I hereby appoint such
    person as my agent (attorney-in-fact). All decisions made
    by my agent with respect to the disposition of my remains,
    including cremation, shall be binding.
 
    SPECIAL DIRECTIONS:
         Set forth below are any special directions limiting
    the power granted to my agent:
    ..............................
    ..............................
    ..............................
 
If the disposition of my remains is by cremation, then:
 
( ) I do not wish to allow any of my survivors the option of
canceling my cremation and selecting alternative arrangements,
regardless of whether my survivors deem a change to be
appropriate.
 
( ) I wish to allow only the survivors I have designated below
the option of canceling my cremation and selecting alternative
arrangements, if they deem a change to be appropriate:
 
    AGENT:
    Name: ......................................
    Address: ...................................
    Telephone Number: ..........................
    Acceptance of Appointment: .................
    Signature of Agent: ........................
    Date of Signature: .........................
 
    SUCCESSORS:
        If my agent dies, becomes legally disabled, resigns, or
    refuses to act, I hereby appoint the following persons
    (each to act alone and successively, in the order named) to
    serve as my agent (attorney-in-fact) to control the
    disposition of my remains as authorized by this document:
 
    1. First Successor
 
    Name: ......................................
    Address: ...................................
    Telephone Number: ..........................
    Signature Indicating Acceptance of Appointment: .........
    Date of Signature: ....................
 
    2. Second Successor
 
    Name: ......................................
    Address: ...................................
    Telephone Number: ..........................
    Signature Indicating Acceptance of Appointment: .........
    Date of Signature: .............
 
    DURATION:
    This appointment becomes effective upon my death.
 
    PRIOR APPOINTMENTS REVOKED:
        I hereby revoke any prior appointment of any person to
    control the disposition of my remains.
 
    RELIANCE:
        I hereby agree that any cemetery organization,
    business operating a crematory or columbarium or both,
    funeral director or embalmer, or funeral establishment who
    receives a copy of this document may act under it. Any
    modification or revocation of this document is not
    effective as to any such party until that party receives
    actual notice of the modification or revocation. No such
    party shall be liable because of reliance on a copy of this
    document.
 
    ASSUMPTION:
 
        THE AGENT, AND EACH SUCCESSOR AGENT, BY ACCEPTING THIS
    APPOINTMENT, AGREES TO AND ASSUMES THE OBLIGATIONS
    PROVIDED HEREIN.
 
    Signed this ...... day of .............., ...........
 
 
    STATE OF ..................
    COUNTY OF .................
 
 
        BEFORE ME, the undersigned, a Notary Public, on this
    day personally appeared ...................., proved to me
    on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person
    whose name is subscribed to the foregoing instrument and
    acknowledged to me that he/she executed the same for the
    purposes and consideration therein expressed.
 
    GIVEN UNDER MY HAND AND SEAL OF OFFICE this ..... day
    of ................, 2........
 
 
    Printed Name: .............................
    Notary Public, State of ...................
 
    My Commission Expires:
    ....................".
 
    Section 15. Requirements for written instrument. A written
instrument is legally sufficient under Section 5 if the wording
of the instrument complies substantially with Section 10, the
instrument is properly completed, the instrument is signed by
the decedent, the agent, and each successor agent, and the
signature of the decedent is notarized. The written instrument
may be modified or revoked only by a subsequent written
instrument that complies with this Section.
 
    Section 20. Duties of authorized agent.
    (a) A person listed in Section 5 has the right, duty, and
liability provided by that Section only if there is no person
in a priority listed before the person.
    (b) If any person who would otherwise have the right to
control disposition pursuant to Section 5 has been charged with
first or second degree murder or voluntary manslaughter in
connection with the decedent's death and those charges are
known to the funeral director or cemetery authority, that
person's right to control is relinquished and passed on to the
next listed person or group of persons in accordance with
Section 5.
 
    Section 25. Body parts. In the case of body parts, a
representative of the institution that has arranged with a
funeral home, cemetery, or crematory authority to cremate or
make other appropriate disposition of the body parts may serve
as the authorizing agent.
 
    Section 30. Prohibition of cremation; written
instructions. No person shall be allowed to authorize cremation
when a decedent has left written instructions that he or she
does not wish to be cremated.
 
    Section 35. Misrepresentation; liability. A person who
represents that he or she knows the identity of a decedent and,
in order to procure the disposition, including cremation, of
the decedent's remains, signs an order or statement, other than
a death certificate, warrants the identity of the decedent and
is liable for all damages that result, directly or indirectly,
from that warrant.
 
    Section 40. Directions by decedent.
    (a) A person may provide written directions for the
disposition, including cremation, of the person's remains in a
will, a prepaid funeral or burial contract, a cremation
authorization form that complies with the Crematory Regulation
Act, or in a written instrument that satisfies the provisions
of Sections 10 and 15 and that is signed by the person and
notarized. The directions may be modified or revoked only by a
subsequent writing signed by the person and notarized. The
person otherwise entitled to control the disposition of a
decedent's remains under this Act shall faithfully carry out
the directions of the decedent to the extent that the
decedent's estate or the person controlling the disposition are
financially able to do so.
    (b) If the directions are in a will, they shall be carried
out immediately without the necessity of probate. If the will
is not probated or is declared invalid for testamentary
purposes, the directions are valid to the extent to which they
have been acted on in good faith.
 
    Section 45. Liability. There shall be no liability for a
cemetery organization, a business operating a crematory or
columbarium or both, a funeral director or an embalmer, or a
funeral establishment that carries out the written directions
of a decedent or the directions of any person who represents
that the person is entitled to control the disposition of the
decedent's remains. Nothing herein shall be intended or
construed to reduce or eliminate liability for the gross
negligence or willful acts of any cemetery organization,
business operating a crematory or columbarium or both, funeral
director or embalmer, or funeral establishment.
 
    Section 50. Disputes. Any dispute among any of the persons
listed in Section 5 concerning their right to control the
disposition, including cremation, of a decedent's remains
shall be resolved by a court of competent jurisdiction. A
cemetery organization or funeral establishment shall not be
liable for refusing to accept the decedent's remains, or to
inter or otherwise dispose of the decedent's remains, until it
receives a court order or other suitable confirmation that the
dispute has been resolved or settled.
 
    Section 300. The Crematory Regulation Act is amended by
changing Section 15 as follows:
 
    (410 ILCS 18/15)
    Sec. 15. Authorizing agent. The priority of the person or
persons who have the right to serve as the authorizing agent
for cremation is in the same priority as provided for in
Section 5 of the Disposition of Remains Act.
    (a) The following persons, in the priority listed, shall
have the right to serve as an authorizing agent:
        (1) The individual who was the spouse of the decedent
    at the time of the decedent's death, except as set forth in
    paragraphs (2) or (3) of this subsection.
        (2) Any person acting on the instructions of a decedent
    who authorized his or her own cremation through the
    execution, on a pre-need basis, of a cremation
    authorization form under Section 70, unless the
    authorization specifically provides for a designated
    survivor to alter the arrangements under subsection (b) of
    Section 70, and the designated survivor has contacted the
    crematory authority and expressed the desire to alter the
    arrangements. The actions of such a designated survivor,
    however, shall not prevent another individual, who has a
    priority right superior to that of the designated survivor
    according to this Section, from authorizing the cremation
    of the decedent by executing a new cremation authorization
    form.
        (3) Any person serving as executor or legal
    representative of a decedent's estate and acting according
    to the decedent's written instructions.
        (4) The decedent's surviving adult children. If there
    is more than one adult child, any adult child, who confirms
    in writing the notification of all other adult children,
    may serve as the authorizing agent, unless the crematory
    authority receives a written objection to the cremation
    from another adult child.
        (5) The decedent's surviving parent. If the decedent is
    survived by 2 parents, either parent may serve as the
    authorizing agent unless the crematory authority receives
    a written objection to the cremation from the other parent.
        (6) The person in the next degree of kinship under the
    laws of descent and distribution to inherit the estate of
    the decedent. If there is more than one person of the same
    degree, any person of that degree may serve as the
    authorizing agent.
        (7) In the case of indigents or any other individuals
    whose final disposition is the responsibility of the State
    or any of its instrumentalities, a public administrator,
    medical examiner, coroner, State appointed guardian, or
    any other public official charged with arranging the final
    disposition of the decedent may serve as the authorizing
    agent.
        (8) In the case of individuals who have donated their
    bodies to science or whose death occurred in a nursing home
    or other private institution, who have executed cremation
    authorization forms under Section 65 and the institution is
    charged with making arrangements for the final disposition
    of the decedent, a representative of the institution may
    serve as the authorizing agent.
        (9) In the absence of any person under paragraphs (1)
    through (8), any person willing to assume the
    responsibility as authorizing agent, as specified in this
    Act.
    (b) In the case of body parts, a representative of the
institution that has arranged with the crematory authority to
cremate the body part may serve as the authorizing agent.
    (c) No person may serve or shall be allowed to serve as an
authorizing agent when a decedent has left instructions in the
manner provided under subsection (a) of this Section that they
do not wish to be cremated.
(Source: P.A. 87-1187.)