>> The grisly discovery of 56 decomposing bodies at the South Chicago chapel sound during last month raised more questions than it answered among them.

How did the fuel home evade state oversight for years leading up to that Discovery?

Illinois laws governing funeral homes and crematoriums have come under more scrutiny as leaders asked what it might take to prevent the next tragedy.

Joining us now, our state Representative Diane Blair, Sherlock, a Democrat whose district includes Villa Park in Glendale Heights.

She also chairs the House State Government Administration Committee.

Trevor Davies, president of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association and state Representative Marcus Evans Junior, a Democrat whose district includes parts of South Chicago, Calumet City and Lansing, thanks to the 3 of you for joining us.

Representative Evan, starting with you, what has been the reaction from constituents since this discovery in South Chicago?

>> It's really outrage.

And even beyond that, it's people picking You know, folks, war treated terribly body, bad actors.

And it's just horrific.

But I think he's been joyous indices because the community will go up.

Attention was brought in a problem will stop.

But now that we stop the bad actors moving forward, municipal Diane Blair, Sherlock and others.

And Trevor, get in That doesn't happen again.

What a terrible, terrible thing locally.

>> Trevor Davies, what responsibilities do funeral directors have to to families who trusted them with their loved ones?

>> From the moment death occurs, funeral directors become not only a guide and advocate, but they are often just a presence for a family who may not know what to do next.

Directors coordinated transfer of transferring care of persons loved one to ensure proper identification documentation, complete necessary paperwork and Courtney things.

But cemeteries crematory is those types of things.

You know, try to get everybody is involved in the process together.

But are our responsibility goes well beyond paperwork and logistics.

We care for the deceased with dignity and respect and whether that involves and bombing the preparation, cremation arrangements, burial or another form of disposition.

Families play set and extraordinary amount of trust in U.S.

and that trust is something we don't take lightly and handling someone that they care so much are so that we can take care of that.

And we have a professional ethical responsibility to protect that person's dignity and respect there, every step of the way.

>> Representative Bush how his funeral home oversight and Illinois currently divide it up.

>> Oh, that's the problem, isn't on?

So there's actually 3 different entities that are involved with respect to that.

So you've got the IDF PR, which does the licensing for the funeral directors and Embalmers Illinois Department of Financial and Professional It And then you have comptroller's office.

Who does crematoriums and then you have local health departments that would take care of things like sanitation.

We just recently passed a bill this last spring session to strengthen the counselors powers with respect to crematoriumswe increased penalties.

We enabled on her to take quick action without necessarily sharing in the most egregious circumstances and 4, the on.

>> Local.

>> Depending on where you are on.

traffic that they're called.

But the the medical examiner, medical examiner, thank you or depending on where are county, they step and take control.

The remains immediately, right so that they can take care of that.

And as you know what this recent incidents, they're trying to identify all these people, right?

It's appalling.

And I think that the problem with having 3 different people are 3 different entities involved.

We're not necessarily having the type of oversight that we need to have.

And I believe that the General Assembly working with the funeral industry.

I don't think that the funeral industry wants these things to happen, right?

I believe that there are very good actors in the space and that they will work with us and we will be able to come up with a framework that will ensure that these types of things don't happen again or if they do, we catch them much more quickly well.

Trevor, as a representative of members of the funeral home industry, how is the current system working for funeral directors?

>> As it, as the representative mentioned, only currently has a frame fragmented regulatory structure for death care.

well, we do this.

I think the current situation raises legitimate questions about whether regulatory framework taken as a whole provides a level of oversight communication and inspection and accountability to Illinois.

Families deserve.

I think all families deserve should have somebody who's licensed and inspected identifiable and accountable to take care of them.

And those things are all important and moving forward, Illinois's families should be able to rely care regulatory system that is clear accountable and responsive fear.

Professionals who follow law and maintain high should likewise have confidence that those standards are being applied consistently across the profession.

purpose of reforms should not be regulation for regulation sake.

It should be to modernize an outdated regulatory structure, strength their strength consumer protection address, actors and avoid unnecessary burdens on para professionals who are already doing things correctly.

>> Representative, where Sherlock is creating a unified funeral board.

So one agency that would do the duties of these other, you know, 2 to 3 agencies.

Is that something the state should?

know that we need an entirely new agency for this.

I think that we could fit this under the umbrella of an agency.

I do think having a system where we could have periodic checks, right inspections, stone of facilities to ensure that the your part month, though, who would want to to be determined right?

this is why these discussions are happening.

So we have not landed on that.

And if you know anything about the legislative process, right, there's a lot of discussions first and we have a lot of stakeholders involved here.

So we've got the comptroller's office.

We've got the local health departments.

We've got the on a Department of Financial professional regulation.

We've got the funeral industry.

So we all need to come together and say, where does this past that right?

And I don't think we know yet where this pest but there are conversations happening now that hopefully will lead to determination.

Representative Evans.

>> they won't public trust.

This number one.

And what representative like is explaining is the process of good government and you won't discusses you just don't want reactions that thinking up live.

The vast majority, the 99.9% of individuals in this space take care of their loved ones.

I first heard this and I know Trevor and his members probably call while ahead what they do this in the first place.

doesn't make any logical sense.

You want to process the bodies.

You want to take care of people.

You want to take care of customers who want to make the money like you're probably was never going to be hit and you can hide dead bodies.

So it made no This was in lead is bad actor.

I want live the good funeral home crematory serves individuals.

And I Representative Berlin, like is correct.

Want to make that we don't just put order was regulations on the good folks of waste.

A lot of time.

Well, as those people wasted, but want to make to it.

They could tie put a bad actors.

Representative Evans, do you see any policy gaps that allowed the South Chicago chapel to get to the point that that it got to get as bad as it did.

>> Well, I think I wouldn't go as far as gaps.

I just want to I think we were pretty tight on the regulations.

>> The problem was on top of these folks, and that the husband license, the wife continue to operate right.

But she was still watched.

I some bad actors does go beyond.

But we but OK, we're going to do all we can to tighten it A bully representative served by.

Robot with some of the folks in the industry.

We can make it nearly impossible.

think there's a lot of ideas floating around.

The more inspectors hiring.

Will folks to make sure we go take every single complaint?

I think there's things that we can do all those being on table.

I don't hear representative for like Trevor is and now once we get this set is going to be nearly impossible for to happen again.

>> Trevor, there was a bill that was passed in Springfield believes represent Representative Charlottesville.

related to that tragedy at the crematorium, as she mentioned, do believe was also related to the owners there's been reporting to the owners of the South Chicago chapel.

But how do you think whatever new legislation is developed?

How do you think that that can prevent?

You know what we know to be bad actors without causing undue burden on everyone else.

The ones you say who are doing their jobs with respect and honor.

Sure.

>> You know, I think the biggest thing if a business is holding itself it out there.

Still many families as a funeral establishment requirements by operating primarily or I'm If we're operating as apparel establishment and accepting responsibility for the care and the disposition of human remains, establishment itself should be accountable to the state.

There's no question about that.

Look his business.

OK, unfortunately, we're out of time.

We're going to have to leave it there.

But something we'll be keeping an eye on and hopefully hear back from the 3 of you on further down the road.

>> My thanks to State Representative Diane Blair,