The legislation would require all cemeteries and their staff who sell cemetery plots and other goods to be licensed; cemeteries would be required to provide reasonable maintenance; cemeteries would be required to keep detailed burial records and maps, file a copy of those records with the county recorder of deeds and provide the information to consumers. Also, funeral directors would need to provide specific information about burial locations and that information would have to be available on the death certificate on file at the county clerk’s office; and the minimum threshold for the state’s allowance for indigent burials would be increased, and provide for a cost of living increase every fiscal year. In addition, the legislation would extend crime victims assistance eligibility to family members of those who are victims of the crimes charged at Burr Oak Cemetery pursuant to the Crime Victims Compensation Act.

"The tragic events at Burr Oak Cemetery serve as the touchstone and a focal point for those of us in public service," Hynes told the committee. "It provides a perspective and an orientation that has truly reshaped the debate at every level of government on the regulation of the death care industry. The public and policy makers are now acutely aware of the gaps in the current regulatory system."