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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Pre-arrangement plans for funerals and burials or | ||||||
| 3 | other means of final disposition have increasingly become | ||||||
| 4 | embattled in controversy in the State of Illinois; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, The types of investment plans chosen by pre-need | ||||||
| 6 | sellers have come under increased scrutiny, including but not | ||||||
| 7 | limited to investments in life insurance policies, trust | ||||||
| 8 | accounts, and other funding means; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, A lack of oversight has resulted in certain | ||||||
| 10 | investments by the Illinois Funeral Director's Association | ||||||
| 11 | losing millions of dollars of consumer trust funds and all | ||||||
| 12 | accounts being marked down to compensate for the losses; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Litigation has been filed and criminal | ||||||
| 14 | investigations have been ongoing accusing both Trust and | ||||||
| 15 | Pre-Need life insurance companies of a "pattern and practice of | ||||||
| 16 | deceit"; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, A growing number of individuals who have | ||||||
| 18 | contracted pre-arranged funeral and burial services are | ||||||
| 19 | discovering that the funds deposited as part of the pre-need | ||||||
| 20 | sales contract do not adequately cover the costs of the funeral | ||||||
| 21 | and burial pre-arrangements chosen by the consumer; therefore, | ||||||
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| 1 | be it
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| 2 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 3 | NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 4 | the Funeral and Burial Pre-Arrangement Investigation Task | ||||||
| 5 | Force be created to investigate and study the reasons for | ||||||
| 6 | losses of the Pre-Need Funeral Trust Fund of the Illinois | ||||||
| 7 | Funeral Directors and any and all other Funeral and Burial | ||||||
| 8 | Pre-Need funding plans and investments offered in Illinois; and | ||||||
| 9 | be it further
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| 10 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force make recommendations for the | ||||||
| 11 | oversight and operation of all funeral and burial pre-need | ||||||
| 12 | programs offered by whatever funding means, and develop | ||||||
| 13 | possible new licenses and continuing education components to | ||||||
| 14 | protect the consumer and profession, and to educate sellers in | ||||||
| 15 | the industry, in the State of Illinois; and be it further
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| 16 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of the | ||||||
| 17 | following members:
three members appointed by the Speaker of | ||||||
| 18 | the House of Representatives and three members appointed by the | ||||||
| 19 | Minority Leader of the House of Representatives (one of the six | ||||||
| 20 | appointed House members shall be appointed chairperson); one | ||||||
| 21 | member appointed by the Director of the Division of Insurance | ||||||
| 22 | within the Department of Financial and Professional | ||||||
| 23 | Regulation; and one member appointed by the Secretary of the | ||||||
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| 1 | Department of Financial and Professional Regulation; and be it | ||||||
| 2 | further
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| 3 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force take voluntary assistance and | ||||||
| 4 | testimony from legal and professional organizations and | ||||||
| 5 | institutions; and be it further
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| 6 | RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall serve | ||||||
| 7 | without compensation, but may be reimbursed for actual expenses | ||||||
| 8 | incurred while serving on this Task Force from funds | ||||||
| 9 | appropriated to the Department of Financial and Professional | ||||||
| 10 | Regulation for that purpose; and be it further
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| 11 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall submit its final report | ||||||
| 12 | to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 31, 2009.
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