CALL TO STOP more Burr Oak Cemetery Scandals!-Your Funeral Guy

THIS IS  CALL TO STOP FUTURE BURR OAK CEMETERY SCANDALS-July 19, 2010-special posting!

Congressman  BOBBY RUSH has been working  very hard to have this important Legislation considered again after he withdrew it on May 5, over his disagreement on exempting religious cemeteries. The Energy & Commerce Committee has scheduled the Rush bill for a vote this Wednesday, July 2ist 2010.

There is an entire website devoted to this legislation here

An in depth anaylisis of the current situation can be found here.

The Bereaved Consumers Bill Of Rights Act is moving through Congress.

H.R. 3655, the Bereaved Consumers  BILL of Rights Act—
BACK for Vote by Energy & Commerce

“YOU HAVE 30 HOURS TO ACT!”DO NOT LET MORE AMERICAN CONSUMERS BE TAKEN IN THEIR  MOMENT OF GREATEST GRIEF ANY MORE. Support cemetery reform!

Your Funeral Guy asks you to IMMEDIATELY do three things:1.) Phone the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee at 202-225-2927 and 202-225-3641—you need to call BOTH numbers—to express emphatic support of  H.R. 3655.

2.) Phone friends and relatives and ask them to IMMEDIATELY call the two phone numbers listed above to express their emphatic SUPPORT to H.R. 3655.

3.) Phone your Congressman and tell him/her to contact the Energy & Commerce Committee to express SUPPORT for H.R. 3655. (Contact info for your Congressman is easily found at www.house.gov at upper left hand corner at “Enter Your Zip Code.”

There are Funeral and Cemetery Scandals Every day in The USA. Many of them have been Covered at Your  Funeral  BLOGS. PLEASE TAKE THE ACTIONS OUTLINED ABOVE SO THE Bereaved Consumers bill of Rights Act CAN BE SENT TO THE FULL HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR A VOTE!

FUNERAL INDUSTRY, FUNERAL NEWS FUNERAL BLOG BY YOUR FUNERAL GUY.

Taking action on this now will prevent more tragedies like BURR OAK CEMETERY, EDEN MEMORIAL PARK, and the recent Arlington NATIONAL CEMETERY SCANDAL!

Citigroup Fined 1.5 Million In Funeral Preneed Trust Case|YourFuneralGuy

Citigroup was fined 1.5 million in a Funeral Preneed Trust Case. The branch of Citigroup Fined was Citigroup Global Markets. The case  involves  the jailed Clayton Smart, and the Citigroup Broker Mark Singer, Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis and Michigan.

This case involved preneed cemetery trusts.

Snippet.

Penalties of $1.5 million have been levied against Citigroup for supervisory violations related to its handling of millions of dollars in trust funds belonging to Forest Hill cemeteries in Memphis and Michigan.

The penalties — including a $750,000 fine and forfeiture of $750,000 in commissions — were imposed Wednesday by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority against Citigroup Global Markets Inc., whose broker is accused of theft and money laundering here.

The commissions will be returned to the cemetery trusts as partial restitution.

“Firms have a duty to protect customer funds by taking prompt and meaningful action when they encounter indications of possible fraud or misappropriation,” said FINRA official James S. Shorris in Washington. “That duty is particularly critical when firms handle trust funds where the beneficiaries may be unsophisticated investors who are unaware of how the funds are being handled.”

via www.commercialappeal.com

Funeral Industry|Funeral News|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Funeral Industry Websites ignoring New National Industry Legislation-YourFuneralGuy

ConnectingDirectors.com did not do a story this past week on Funeral and Cemetery Legislative reform.

Several Funeral Industry Websites are ignoring the Funeral and Cemetery Reform hearing that took place in Congress this past week. Connecting Directors.com did not do a story or even post a news article.   FuneralWire.com has no article on the current story,only a mention of the NFDA support letter of 11/13/09. The Bereaved Consumers Bill of rights Act

Now to ignore the biggest story on the  Funeral and Cemetery Reform legislation since the revision of the Funeral rule(law) in 1992 is flat out bias. Even Financial trading companies are reporting on the hearings-research.scottrade.com

Congressman Bobby Rush held hearings last Wednesday on Funeral and Cemetery reform- This Legislation  will help the Funeral Consumer.

Funeral Industry| Funeral News|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Hearing Held | Bereaved Consumers Bill of Rights Act-YourFuneralGuy

On 1/27/20010 a hearing was held on the Bereaved Consumers Bill Of Rights Act by Congressman Bobby Rush. Four organizations testified according to WGN Radio 720 in Chicago. The Hearing was held by the House Committee on  Commerce and Energy. The legislation was brought on by the Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal

CLICK HERE FOR FULL NEWS COVERAGE ON THE HEARING

NFDA-The National Funeral Directors Association-represented by Randal L Earl.

Earl Said that the NFDA supported the bill, but requested that Amazon.com and WalMart.com(selling Caskets) be covered by the FTC regulation. They must pose a threat!

FTC-Federal Trade Commission represented by Charles Harwood, deputy director of it’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Harwood stated that most cemeteries operate as non-profits, and that the FTC does not currently regulate them.

ICOTF- Illinois Cemetery Oversight Task Force represented by Patricia Brown Holmes, a retired judge.

Holmes said that the public thinks that cemetery and funeral people are one in the same and BOTH should be regulated.- This is an important statement for the funeral consumer.

ICCFA-International Cemetery Cremation represented byPaul M. Elvig

Elvig stated he was against the bill becoming law and  that  the legislation  would  make life diffucult for the non profit an religious cemeteries.by Your Funeral Guy.

Funeral Industry|Funeral News| Funeral Blog

CLICK HERE TO VISIT BEREAVED CONSUMERS PROTECTION ACT.COM  FOR ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ON THIS BILL.

In Congress the legislation is known as the Rush Bill

Source:WGN Radio.com

New Cemetery Law In Illinois leaves No (grave)Stone Unturned-YourFuneralGuy

The New Cemetery Law In Illinois leaves no Gravestone unturned. Every Burial site in the state will be mapped out and put into a statewide database. It will be next to impossible to desecrate a grave or move a headstone. Grave sites will not be able to be resold while occupied.

Illinois is now a National Leader in Cemetery Reform with the Cemetery Oversight Act. The Law was signed by Governor Pat Quinn on Sunday, January 17th 2010

There are five main reforms:

1.Cemetery owners, managers and customer service employees will have to be licensed.

2.Regulatory agency will conduct audits

3.Regulatory agency will issue fines of up to $10,000 for violations such as poor grounds upkeep or failing to keep burial maps.

With the Cemetery Oversight Act Illinois has become a National Leader in Regulating Cemeteries and Cemetery Reform

4. There will be a State Wide Burial Database keeping track of every burial in the state. This will prevent desecration of graves and reburials.

5. There will be a place for consumers to file  complaints. This is important in preventing abuse. Consumers and Whistleblowers will be protected.

HB 1188 came in response to the Burr Oak cemetery scandal in July. Investigators revealed that bodies buried in Burr Oak, a historic African-American cemetery in Alsip, were moved and dumped into a mass grave in an apparent scheme to resell individual grave sites. Four cemetery employees have been charged in connection with the scam.

via illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com

Click Here to View The Cemetery Oversight Act

The Illinois Cemetery Oversight Act Leaves no Gravestone Unturned

Below is a video Link explaining the new cemetery law in Illinois, the Cemetery Oversight Act. This law was created in response to the Burr Oak  Cemetery scandal. This law is the first of it’s kind in the United States of America and promises Illinois Residents that there never will be a Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal again. It is a shining light in a dark place in our society.

Click Here for Illinois Cemetery  Oversight Act Video courtesy of WGN TV channel 9 Chicago

Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal brought cemetery reform to Illinois

Snippet on the current status of Burr Oak Cemetery:

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, whose office first brought the scandal to light, said investigators are still sorting out records but there are concerns the cemetery is over capacity. He said his office has suggested the current cemetery operators slow the pace of burials as the investigation continues.

“Especially at this cemetery, there’s no room for error any more,” Dart said.

via www.chicagobreakingnews.com

Funeral Industry|Funeral News|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy