U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush is proposing federal legislation to strengthen regulation of the country’s cemeteries and funeral homes.
The Chicago Democrat is to unveil the Bereaved Consumers Protection Act during a news conference Monday.
The act would amend the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule. The rule prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the funeral operations industry.
If passed into law, Rush says the act would improve cemetery record-keeping and make funeral contracts more clear for consumers, among other things.
The move comes after allegations surfaced that four workers at a suburban Chicago cemetery dug up bodies and stacked remains in order to resell plots.
All four Burr Oak Cemetery workers have pleaded not guilty.
