Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes

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410 ILCS 18/65

(410 ILCS 18/65)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2029)
Sec. 65. Pre-need cremation arrangements.

(a) Any person, or anyone who has legal authority to act on
behalf of a person, on a pre-need basis, may authorize his or her own
cremation and the final disposition of his or her cremated remains by
executing, as the authorizing agent, a cremation authorization form on a
pre-need basis.  A copy of this form  shall be provided to the person. Any
person shall have the right to transfer or cancel this authorization at any
time prior to death by destroying the executed cremation authorization form and
providing written notice to the crematory authority.

(b) Any cremation authorization form that is being executed by an
individual as his or her own authorizing agent on a pre-need basis shall
contain the following disclosure, which shall be completed by the
authorizing agent:

"( ) I do not wish to allow any of my survivors the

option of cancelling my cremation and selecting alternative arrangements, regardless of whether my survivors deem a change to be appropriate.

( ) I wish to allow only the survivors whom I have

designated below the option of cancelling my cremation and selecting alternative arrangements, if they deem a change to be appropriate:............"

(c) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this Section, at the time of the
death of a person who has executed, as the authorizing agent, a cremation
authorization form on a pre-need basis, any person in possession of an executed
 form and any person charged with making arrangements for the final disposition
of the decedent who has knowledge of the existence of an executed  form, shall
use their best efforts to ensure that the decedent is cremated and
that the final disposition of the cremated remains is in accordance with the
instructions contained on the cremation authorization form.
If a crematory authority (i) is in possession of a completed cremation
authorization form that was executed on a pre-need basis,
(ii) is in possession of the designated human remains, and (iii) has received
payment for the cremation of the human remains and the final disposition of
the cremated  remains or is otherwise assured of payment, then the crematory
authority shall be required to cremate the human remains and dispose of
the cremated remains according to the instructions contained on the
cremation authorization form, and may do so  without any liability.

(d) Any pre-need contract sold by, or pre-need arrangements made with, a
cemetery, funeral establishment, crematory authority, or any other party
that includes a cremation shall specify the final disposition of the cremated
remains, in accordance with Section 40.  In the event that no different or
inconsistent instructions are provided to the crematory authority by the
authorizing agent at the time of death, the crematory authority shall be
authorized to release or dispose of the cremated remains as indicated in the
pre-need agreement.  Upon compliance with the terms of the pre-need
agreement, the crematory authority shall be discharged from any legal
obligation  concerning the cremated remains. The pre-need agreement shall be kept as a permanent record by the crematory authority.

(e) This Section shall not apply to any  cremation authorization
form or pre-need contract executed prior to the effective date of this Act.
Any cemetery, funeral establishment, crematory authority,  or other
party, however, with the written approval of the authorizing agent or person
who executed the pre-need contract, may designate that the cremation
authorization form or pre-need contract shall be subject to this Act.

(Source: P.A. 96-863, eff. 3-1-12; 97-679, eff. 2-6-12.)