Illinois § 5

§ 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.)