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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Suspension of expenditures for indigent burial | ||||||
| 3 | funds contained in the Department
of Human Services budget was | ||||||
| 4 | announced on April 3, 2015, retroactive to January 15 of that | ||||||
| 5 | year; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Governor Rauner's administration's proposed FY | ||||||
| 7 | 2016 budget eliminated funding for the
program in its entirety; | ||||||
| 8 | and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, Articles III, IV, V, and VI of the Illinois Public | ||||||
| 10 | Aid Code directs the State to pay "such
reasonable amounts as | ||||||
| 11 | may be necessary to meet costs of the funeral, burial space, | ||||||
| 12 | and
cemetery charges"; and | ||||||
| 13 | WHEREAS, The Department of Humans Services (DHS) website | ||||||
| 14 | proclaims the funeral and burial
benefits program "pays for the | ||||||
| 15 | funeral and burial expenses when a person's resources and
all | ||||||
| 16 | other sources of payment are less than the DHS standard payment | ||||||
| 17 | rates"; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, The website further states these funds are | ||||||
| 19 | available for individuals who at the
time of their death are | ||||||
| 20 | participating in or who are qualified for All Kids Assist, | ||||||
| 21 | Parent/All
Kids Assist, All Kids Moms & Babies, Family Assist, | ||||||
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| 1 | and AABD Medical or were receiving
TANF or an AABD cash grant; | ||||||
| 2 | and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, This program provided burial and funeral | ||||||
| 4 | assistance to 8,649 Illinoisans of all ages
in FY 2014, whose | ||||||
| 5 | estates were insufficient to cover necessary expenses and for | ||||||
| 6 | whom no
responsible relative existed; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Every person deserves to be treated with dignity | ||||||
| 8 | and respect at their death,
regardless of their income; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Implementation of such an edict without a workable | ||||||
| 10 | alternative plan in place may
reduce the states expenditures | ||||||
| 11 | but is not a solution the citizens of the State of Illinois | ||||||
| 12 | find
acceptable; therefore, be it
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| 13 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 14 | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 15 | we request the immediate reinstatement of the program and | ||||||
| 16 | release of such funds; and be it further | ||||||
| 17 | RESOLVED, That providers of medical services to residents | ||||||
| 18 | qualifying for benefits authorized
under the Illinois Public | ||||||
| 19 | Aid Code must be notified of this reinstatement; and be it | ||||||
| 20 | further
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| 1 | RESOLVED, That media outlets statewide be alerted and asked | ||||||
| 2 | to report the
restatement with instructions for how families in | ||||||
| 3 | need of assistance can apply.
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