State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_HB2081sam002

 










                                           LRB9103838DJcdam04

 1                    AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2081

 2        AMENDMENT NO.     .  Amend House Bill 2081,  AS  AMENDED,
 3    as follows:

 4    in  the  introductory  clause  of  Section  2,  by  replacing
 5    "changing  Section  1"  with  "changing Sections 1 and 4a and
 6    adding Section 4b"; and

 7    in Section 2, after the last line of Sec. 1, by inserting the
 8    following:

 9        "(225 ILCS 45/4a)
10        Sec. 4a.  Investment of funds.
11        (a)  A trustee shall, with respect to the  investment  of
12    trust  funds,  exercise  the  judgment  and  care  under  the
13    circumstances  then  prevailing  that  persons  of  prudence,
14    discretion,  and  intelligence  exercise in the management of
15    their own affairs, not  in  regard  to  speculation,  but  in
16    regard   to   the   permanent  disposition  of  their  funds,
17    considering the probable  income  as  well  as  the  probable
18    safety of their capital.
19        (b)  The  trust shall be a single-purpose trust fund.  In
20    the  event  of  the  seller's   bankruptcy,   insolvency   or
21    assignment  for  the  benefit  of  creditors,  or  an adverse
22    judgment, the trust funds  shall  not  be  available  to  any
 
                            -2-            LRB9103838DJcdam04
 1    creditor  as  assets  of the seller or to pay any expenses of
 2    any  bankruptcy  or  similar   proceeding,   but   shall   be
 3    distributed to the purchasers or managed for their benefit by
 4    the  trustee  holding  the funds.  Except in an action by the
 5    Comptroller to revoke a license issued pursuant to  this  Act
 6    and  for  creation of a receivership as provided in this Act,
 7    the trust  shall  not  be  subject  to  judgment,  execution,
 8    garnishment,  attachment,  or  other  seizure  by  process in
 9    bankruptcy or otherwise, nor to sale,  pledge,  mortgage,  or
10    other  alienation,  and  shall  not  be  assignable except as
11    approved  by  the  Comptroller.  The  changes  made  by  this
12    amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly are  intended  to
13    clarify  existing law regarding the inability of licensees to
14    pledge the trust.
15        (c)  Because it is not known at the time of deposit or at
16    the time that income is earned on the trust account  to  whom
17    the   principal   and   the   accumulated  earnings  will  be
18    distributed for  the  purpose  of  determining  the  Illinois
19    income  tax  due  on these trust funds, the principal and any
20    accrued earnings or losses related to each individual account
21    shall be held in suspense until the  final  determination  is
22    made as to whom the account shall be paid.  The beneficiary's
23    estate  shall  not  be responsible for any funeral and burial
24    purchases listed in  a  pre-need  contract  if  the  pre-need
25    contract is entered into on a guaranteed price basis.
26        If   a  pre-need  contract  is  not  a  guaranteed  price
27    contract, then to the extent the proceeds of a non-guaranteed
28    price pre-need contract cover the funeral and burial expenses
29    for the beneficiary, no claim may be made against the  estate
30    of  the  beneficiary.   A  claim  may  be  made  against  the
31    beneficiary's  estate if the charges for the funeral services
32    and merchandise at the time of use exceed the amount  of  the
33    amount  in  trust  plus  the  percentage of the sale proceeds
34    initially retained by the seller or the  face  value  of  the
 
                            -3-            LRB9103838DJcdam04
 1    life insurance policy or tax-deferred annuity.
 2        (d)  Trust  funds shall not be invested by the trustee in
 3    life insurance policies or tax-deferred annuities unless  the
 4    following requirements are met:
 5             (1)  The company issuing the life insurance policies
 6        or  tax-deferred  annuities  is  licensed by the Illinois
 7        Department of Insurance and  the  insurance  producer  or
 8        annuity seller is licensed to do business in the State of
 9        Illinois;
10             (2)  Prior   to   the   investment,   the  purchaser
11        approves, in writing, the investment  in  life  insurance
12        policies or tax-deferred annuities;
13             (3)  Prior  to  the  investment,  the  purchaser  is
14        notified  by  the seller in writing about the disclosures
15        required for all pre-need contracts under Section 1a-1 of
16        this Act,  and  the  purchase  of  life  insurance  or  a
17        tax-deferred  annuity  is  subject to the requirements of
18        Section 2a of this Act;
19             (4)  Prior to the investment,  the  trustee  informs
20        the  Comptroller  that  trust funds shall be removed from
21        the  trust  account  to  purchase  life  insurance  or  a
22        tax-deferred annuity upon  the  written  consent  of  the
23        purchaser;
24             (5)  The  purchaser  retains  the  right  to  refund
25        provided for in this Act, unless the pre-need contract is
26        sold  on an irrevocable basis as provided in Section 4 of
27        this Act; and
28             (6)  Notice must be given in writing that  the  cash
29        surrender  value  of  a life insurance policy may be less
30        than the amount provided for by the refund provisions  of
31        the trust account.
32    (Source: P.A. 88-477.)

33        (225 ILCS 45/4b new)
 
                            -4-            LRB9103838DJcdam04
 1        Sec.   4b.   Licensee  bankruptcy.  In  the  event  of  a
 2    licensee's bankruptcy,  insolvency,  or  assignment  for  the
 3    benefit  of  creditors,  or  in  the event of the bankruptcy,
 4    insolvency, or assignment for the benefit of creditors of any
 5    person,  partnership,  association,  corporation,  or   other
 6    entity  that  possesses a controlling interest in a licensee,
 7    the licensee shall provide notice in writing of that event to
 8    each purchaser of a pre-need sales  contract  or  a  pre-need
 9    contract  within  30  days  after  the  event  of bankruptcy,
10    insolvency, or assignment for the benefit of creditors.  At a
11    minimum, the notice must contain the following:
12             (1)  The name and address of the licensee.
13             (2)  If different from the licensee,  the  name  and
14        address   of  the  party  that  is  the  subject  of  the
15        bankruptcy, insolvency, or assignment for the benefit  of
16        creditors.
17             (3)  A brief description of the event of bankruptcy,
18        insolvency, or assignment for the benefit of creditors.
19             (4)  The case name or other identifying title of any
20        matter pending in any court, federal or State, pertaining
21        to  the  bankruptcy,  insolvency,  or  assignment for the
22        benefit of creditors.
23             (5)  The name and address of the court in which  the
24        bankruptcy,  insolvency, or assignment for the benefit of
25        creditors is pending.
26             (6)  A description of any action the purchaser  must
27        undertake  to  file a claim or to protect the purchaser's
28        interests, including the purchaser's right  to  a  refund
29        under this Act."; and

30    by  replacing  the  introductory clause of Section 5 with the
31    following:

32        "Section 5. The Cemetery Care Act is amended by  changing
33    Sections 4 and 15 as follows:
 
                            -5-            LRB9103838DJcdam04
 1        (760 ILCS 100/4) (from Ch. 21, par. 64.4)
 2        Sec.  4.  Care funds; deposits; investments.   Whenever a
 3    cemetery authority owning, operating, controlling or managing
 4    a privately operated cemetery accepts care funds,  either  in
 5    connection  with  the sale or giving away at an imputed value
 6    of an interment right, entombment right or  inurnment  right,
 7    or  in  pursuance  of a contract, or whenever, as a condition
 8    precedent to the  purchase  or  acceptance  of  an  interment
 9    right,  entombment  right  or  inurnment right, such cemetery
10    authority requires the establishment of  a  care  fund  or  a
11    deposit  in an already existing care fund, then such cemetery
12    authority shall execute and deliver to the person  from  whom
13    received  an  instrument  in writing which shall specifically
14    state: (a) the nature and extent of the care to be furnished,
15    and (b) that such care shall be furnished only in so  far  as
16    the  net  income  derived  from the amount deposited in trust
17    will permit (the income from the amount  so  deposited,  less
18    necessary  expenditures  of administering the trust, shall be
19    deemed the net income),  and  (c)  that  not  less  than  the
20    following amounts will be set aside and deposited in trust:
21             1.  For  interment rights, $1 per square foot of the
22        space sold or 15% of the sales price  or  imputed  value,
23        whichever  is the greater, with a minimum of $25 for each
24        individual interment right.
25             2.  For entombment rights, not less than 10% of  the
26        sales  price  or  imputed value with a minimum of $25 for
27        each individual entombment right.
28             3.  For inurnment rights, not less than 10%  of  the
29        sales  price  or  imputed value with a minimum of $15 for
30        each individual inurnment right.
31             4.  For any transfer of interment rights, entombment
32        rights, or inurnment rights recorded in  the  records  of
33        the  cemetery authority, excepting only transfers between
34        members of the immediate  family  of  the  transferor,  a
 
                            -6-            LRB9103838DJcdam04
 1        minimum  of $25 for each such right transferred.  For the
 2        purposes of  this  paragraph  "immediate  family  of  the
 3        transferor"  means  the  spouse,  parents,  grandparents,
 4        children, grandchildren, and siblings of the transferor.
 5             5.  Upon an interment, entombment, or inurnment in a
 6        grave,  crypt,  or  niche  in  which rights of interment,
 7        entombment, or inurnment were originally acquired from  a
 8        cemetery authority prior to January 1, 1948, a minimum of
 9        $25 for each such right exercised.
10             6.  For  the  special care of any lot, grave, crypt,
11        or niche or of a family mausoleum, memorial,  marker,  or
12        monument, the full amount received.
13        Such  setting  aside  and  deposit  shall be made by such
14    cemetery authority not later than 30 days after the close  of
15    the  month  in  which the cemetery authority gave away for an
16    imputed value or received the final payment on  the  purchase
17    price  of  interment  rights, entombment rights, or inurnment
18    rights, or received the final  payment  for  the  general  or
19    special  care  of a lot, grave, crypt or niche or of a family
20    mausoleum, memorial, marker or  monument;  and  such  amounts
21    shall  be  held  by  the  trustee  of  the care funds of such
22    cemetery authority in trust in perpetuity  for  the  specific
23    purposes  stated  in  said  written  instrument. For all care
24    funds received by a cemetery authority, except for care funds
25    received by a cemetery authority pursuant to a specific gift,
26    grant, contribution, payment, legacy, or  contract  that  are
27    subject  to investment restrictions more restrictive than the
28    investment provisions set forth in this Act, and  except  for
29    care funds otherwise subject to a trust agreement executed by
30    a person or persons responsible for transferring the specific
31    gift, grant, contribution, payment, or legacy to the cemetery
32    authority   that   contains   investment   restrictions  more
33    restrictive than the investment provisions set forth in  this
34    Act,  the  cemetery  authority  may, without the necessity of
 
                            -7-            LRB9103838DJcdam04
 1    having to obtain prior approval from any court in this State,
 2    designate a new trustee  in  accordance  with  this  Act  and
 3    invest  the  care  funds  in  accordance  with  this Section,
 4    notwithstanding any  contrary  limitation  contained  in  the
 5    trust agreement.
 6        Any  such cemetery authority engaged in selling or giving
 7    away at an imputed value interment rights, entombment  rights
 8    or  inurnment  rights,  in  conjunction  with  the selling or
 9    giving away at an imputed  value  any  other  merchandise  or
10    services  not  covered  by this Act, shall be prohibited from
11    increasing the sales price or imputed value  of  those  items
12    not  requiring  a  care  fund deposit under this Act with the
13    purpose of allocating a lesser sales price or  imputed  value
14    to items that require a care fund deposit.
15        In  the  event  any  sale that would require a deposit to
16    such cemetery authority's care fund is  made  by  a  cemetery
17    authority  on  an  installment  basis,  and  the  installment
18    contract  is  factored, discounted, or sold to a third party,
19    the cemetery authority shall deposit the amount  due  to  the
20    care  fund  within  30  days  after the close of the month in
21    which the installment contract was factored,  discounted,  or
22    sold.  If, subsequent to such deposit, the purchaser defaults
23    on  the  contract  such  that  no  care  fund deposit on that
24    contract would have been required, the cemetery authority may
25    apply  the  amount  deposited  as  a  credit  against  future
26    required deposits.
27        The trust authorized by this Section shall  be  a  single
28    purpose trust fund.  In the event of the seller's bankruptcy,
29    insolvency, or assignment for the benefit of creditors, or an
30    adverse  judgment,  the trust funds shall not be available to
31    any creditor as assets of the cemetery authority  or  to  pay
32    any  expenses  of  any  bankruptcy or similar proceeding, but
33    shall  be  retained  intact  to  provide   for   the   future
34    maintenance  of  the  cemetery.   Except  in an action by the
 
                            -8-            LRB9103838DJcdam04
 1    Comptroller to revoke a license issued pursuant to  this  Act
 2    and  for  creation of a receivership as provided in this Act,
 3    the trust  shall  not  be  subject  to  judgment,  execution,
 4    garnishment,  attachment,  or  other  seizure  by  process in
 5    bankruptcy or otherwise, nor to sale,  pledge,  mortgage,  or
 6    other  alienation,  and  shall  not  be  assignable except as
 7    approved  by  the  Comptroller.  The  changes  made  by  this
 8    amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly are  intended  to
 9    clarify  existing law regarding the inability of licensees to
10    pledge the trust.
11    (Source: P.A. 88-477; 89-615, eff. 8-9-96.)"; and

12    in the introductory clause of Section 10, by  replacing  "and
13    20" with "16, and 20 and adding Section 16.5"; and

14    in  Section  10,  by  replacing  all  of  Sec.  14  with  the
15    following:

16        "(815 ILCS 390/14) (from Ch. 21, par. 214)
17        Sec. 14.  Contract required.
18        (a)  It  is unlawful for any seller doing business within
19    this State to  accept  sales  proceeds,  either  directly  or
20    indirectly  by  any  means,  unless  the seller enters into a
21    pre-need sales contract with the purchaser  which  meets  the
22    following requirements:
23             (1)  A  written  sales contract shall be executed in
24        duplicate for each pre-need sale made by a licensee,  and
25        a  signed  copy  given  to  the purchaser. Each completed
26        contract shall be numbered and shall contain the name and
27        address of the purchaser and the seller, the name of  the
28        person,   if  known,  who  is  to  receive  the  cemetery
29        merchandise,   cemetery   services   or   the   completed
30        interment,  entombment  or  inurnment  spaces  under  the
31        contract  and  specifically  identify  such  merchandise,
32        services or spaces.
 
                            -9-            LRB9103838DJcdam04
 1             (2)  In addition,  such  contracts  must  contain  a
 2        provision  in  distinguishing  typeface  substantially as
 3        follows follow:
 4             "Notwithstanding anything in this  contract  to  the
 5        contrary,  you  are  afforded  certain specific rights of
 6        cancellation and refund under Sections 18 and 19  of  the
 7        Illinois Pre-Need Cemetery Sales Act, enacted by the 84th
 8        General Assembly of the State of Illinois".
 9             (3)  All pre-need sales contracts shall be sold on a
10        guaranteed price basis. At the time of performance of the
11        service  or delivery of the merchandise, the seller shall
12        be prohibited from assessing the purchaser or  his  heirs
13        or   assigns   or   duly  authorized  representative  any
14        additional  charges  for  the  specific  merchandise  and
15        services listed on the pre-need sales contract.
16        Each contract shall clearly disclose that  the  price  of
17    the  merchandise  or services is guaranteed and shall contain
18    the following statement in 12 point bold type:
19        "THIS CONTRACT GUARANTEES THE  BENEFICIARY  THE  SPECIFIC
20    GOODS  AND  SERVICES   CONTRACTED FOR.  NO ADDITIONAL CHARGES
21    MAY  BE  REQUIRED.  FOR  DESIGNATED   GOODS   AND   SERVICES,
22    ADDITIONAL CHARGES MAY BE INCURRED FOR UNEXPECTED EXPENSES."
23        (b)  Every  pre-need  sales  contract must be in writing,
24    and no pre-need sales contract form may be used unless it has
25    previously been filed with the Comptroller.  The  Comptroller
26    shall  review  all  pre-need  sales  contract forms and, upon
27    written notification to the seller, shall prohibit the use of
28    contract forms that do not meet the requirements of this Act.
29    Any use or attempted use of any oral pre-need sales  contract
30    or  any  written  pre-need sales contract in a form not filed
31    with the Comptroller or in a form  that  does  not  meet  the
32    requirements  of this Act shall be deemed a violation of this
33    Act. The Comptroller may by rule  develop  a  model  pre-need
34    sales contract form that meets the requirements of this Act.
 
                            -10-           LRB9103838DJcdam04
 1        (c)  To the extent the Rule is applicable, every pre-need
 2    sales  contract  is  subject  to the Federal Trade Commission
 3    Rule concerning the Cooling-Off Period for Door-to-Door Sales
 4    (16 CFR Part 429).
 5    (Source: P.A. 85-805.)"; and

 6    in Section 10, after the last line of Sec. 15, buy  inserting
 7    the following:

 8        "(815 ILCS 390/16) (from Ch. 21, par. 216)
 9        Sec. 16.  Trust funds; disbursements.
10        (a)  A trustee shall make no disbursements from the trust
11    fund except as provided in this Act.
12        (b)  A  trustee  shall, with respect to the investment of
13    such trust funds, exercise the judgment and  care  under  the
14    circumstances  then  prevailing  which  persons  of prudence,
15    discretion and intelligence exercise  in  the  management  of
16    their  own  affairs,  not  in  regard  to speculation, but in
17    regard  to  the  permanent  disposition   of   their   funds,
18    considering  the  probable  income  as  well  as the probable
19    safety of their capital.
20        The seller shall act as trustee of all  amounts  received
21    for  cemetery  merchandise,  services,  or undeveloped spaces
22    until those amounts have been deposited into the trust  fund.
23    The  seller  may continue to be the trustee of up to $500,000
24    that has been deposited into the trust fund, but  the  seller
25    must  retain  an  independent trustee for any amount of trust
26    funds in excess of $500,000.  A seller holding trust funds in
27    excess of $500,000 on the effective date of  this  amendatory
28    Act  of  1996  shall  have 36 months to retain an independent
29    trustee for the amounts over $500,000; any other seller  must
30    retain  an  independent trustee for its trust funds in excess
31    of $500,000 as soon as may be  practical.    The  Comptroller
32    shall  have the right to disqualify the trustee upon the same
33    grounds as for  refusing  to  grant  or  revoking  a  license
 
                            -11-           LRB9103838DJcdam04
 1    hereunder.   Upon  notice  to the Comptroller, the seller may
 2    change the trustee of the trust fund.
 3        (c)  The  trustee  may  rely  upon   certifications   and
 4    affidavits  made  to it under the provisions of this Act, and
 5    shall not be liable to any person for such reliance.
 6        (d)  A trustee shall be  allowed  to  withdraw  from  the
 7    trust  funds maintained pursuant to this Act, payable  solely
 8    from the income earned on such trust funds, a reasonable  fee
 9    for all usual and customary services for the operation of the
10    trust  fund,  including,  but  not  limited  to trustee fees,
11    investment advisor fees, allocation fees, annual  audit  fees
12    and  other  similar  fees.  The  maximum amount allowed to be
13    withdrawn for these fees each year shall be the lesser of  3%
14    of  the balance of the trust calculated on an annual basis or
15    the amount of annual income generated therefrom.
16        (e)  The trust shall be a single-purpose trust fund.   In
17    the   event   of   the  seller's  bankruptcy,  insolvency  or
18    assignment for  the  benefit  of  creditors,  or  an  adverse
19    judgment,  the  trust  funds  shall  not  be available to any
20    creditor as assets of the seller or to pay  any  expenses  of
21    any   bankruptcy   or   similar   proceeding,  but  shall  be
22    distributed to the purchasers or managed for their benefit by
23    the trustee holding the funds. Except in  an  action  by  the
24    Comptroller  to  revoke a license issued pursuant to this Act
25    and for creation of a receivership as provided in  this  Act,
26    the  trust  shall  not  be  subject  to  judgment, execution,
27    garnishment, attachment,  or  other  seizure  by  process  in
28    bankruptcy  or  otherwise,  nor to sale, pledge, mortgage, or
29    other alienation, and  shall  not  be  assignable  except  as
30    approved  by  the  Comptroller.  The  changes  made  by  this
31    amendatory  Act  of the 91st General Assembly are intended to
32    clarify existing law regarding the inability of licensees  to
33    pledge the trust.
34        (f)  Because it is not known at the time of deposit or at
 
                            -12-           LRB9103838DJcdam04
 1    the  time  that income is earned on the trust account to whom
 2    the  principal  and  the   accumulated   earnings   will   be
 3    distributed,  for purposes of determining the Illinois Income
 4    Tax due on these trust funds, the principal and  any  accrued
 5    earnings  or losses relating to each individual account shall
 6    be held in suspense until the final determination is made  as
 7    to whom the account shall be paid.
 8    (Source: P.A. 88-477; 89-615, eff. 8-9-96.)

 9        (815 ILCS 390/16.5 new)
10        Sec.  16.5.  Licensee  bankruptcy.  In  the  event  of  a
11    licensee's  bankruptcy,  insolvency,  or  assignment  for the
12    benefit of creditors, or in  the  event  of  the  bankruptcy,
13    insolvency, or assignment for the benefit of creditors of any
14    person,   partnership,  association,  corporation,  or  other
15    entity that possesses a controlling interest in  a  licensee,
16    the licensee shall provide notice in writing of that event to
17    each  purchaser  of  a  pre-need sales contract or a pre-need
18    contract within  30  days  after  the  event  of  bankruptcy,
19    insolvency, or assignment for the benefit of creditors.  At a
20    minimum, the notice must contain the following:
21             (1)  The name and address of the licensee.
22             (2)  If  different  from  the licensee, the name and
23        address  of  the  party  that  is  the  subject  of   the
24        bankruptcy,  insolvency, or assignment for the benefit of
25        creditors.
26             (3)  A brief description of the event of bankruptcy,
27        insolvency, or assignment for the benefit of creditors.
28             (4)  The case name or other identifying title of any
29        matter pending in any court, federal or State, pertaining
30        to the bankruptcy,  insolvency,  or  assignment  for  the
31        benefit of creditors.
32             (5)  The  name and address of the court in which the
33        bankruptcy, insolvency, or assignment for the benefit  of
 
                            -13-           LRB9103838DJcdam04
 1        creditors is pending.
 2             (6)  A  description of any action the purchaser must
 3        undertake to file a claim or to protect  the  purchaser's
 4        interests,  including  the  purchaser's right to a refund
 5        under this Act."; and

 6    in Section 10, Sec. 20, by replacing all  of  subsection  (e)
 7    with the following:
 8        "(e)  On  and after the effective date of this amendatory
 9    Act of the 91st General Assembly, a licensee may  report  all
10    required  information  concerning  the  sale  of outer burial
11    containers on the licensee's annual  report  required  to  be
12    filed under this Act and shall not be required to report that
13    information  under  the Illinois Funeral or Burial Funds Act,
14    as long as the information is reported under this Act."; and

15    by replacing all of Section 99 with the following:

16        "Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes  effect  upon
17    becoming  law,  except  that  the changes to Section 1 of the
18    Funeral or Burial Funds Act and the changes  to  Sections  4,
19    14, 15, and 20 of the Pre-Need Cemetery Sales Act take effect
20    on January 1, 2000.".

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