(305 ILCS 80/5)
Sec. 5. Purpose; findings.
(a) Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children
and teenagers in Illinois. (b) Parents and guardians who experience the death of a
child by gun violence face the painful process of bereavement while
also bearing the responsibilities of planning a funeral and paying
for funeral and burial expenses, usually through some form of debt. (c) While the State assists the families of murdered
children with funeral and burial expenses, assistance is primarily
in the form of a reimbursement to the family after a formal
application is submitted. After submission, the application
undergoes a lengthy evaluation process by a review committee and a
subsequent hearing before an administrative court. The process
takes months, even years, before a final decision is rendered,
during which time the victim's family can incur an overwhelming
amount of debt. (d) This debt is particularly burdensome for low-income families, who struggle to repay the debt while continuing to provide
for the family's basic needs. Many families rely on in-kind
donations to support their basic needs while they work to pay off
funeral and burial expenses. (e) It is the intent of this Act to assist the families of
children murdered in Illinois with funeral and burial expenses by
having the State issue direct payments to funeral establishments
and cemetery authorities instead of having the victim's family
struggle to pay the cost and wait for reimbursement. Direct payments
will enable families to secure burial rights and funeral and burial services and merchandise without enduring
significant financial hardship and debt. (f) This Act provides for expedited processing and
payment of all disbursement requests for child victim funeral and
burial expenses.
(Source: P.A. 102-754, eff. 5-10-22.) |