republic-os/legislation/us/states/il/96th/hb-516.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "VETERANS-DISPOSITION CREMAINS"
description: "Creates the Disposition of Veterans' Cremains Act. Provides that a funeral director must make a reasonable effort to determine whether a deceased person, whose remains have been submitted for final disposition by cremation, was a veteran of the armed services (\"veteran\"), a spouse of a veteran, or the dependent child of a veteran. If there is uncertainty regarding the deceased person's status and no authorizing agent exists, the funeral director may allow the National Cemetery Administration's National Cemetery Scheduling Office, any veterans organization whose primary purpose is to locate, identify, and inter the unclaimed cremains of American veterans, or any federally-chartered veterans service organization to have access to the cremains and all information regarding the deceased person in the possession of the funeral director so that the deceased person's status may be determined. If the deceased person is identified as a veteran, spouse of a veteran, or dependent child of a veteran, requires the funeral director to notify the authorizing agent over the disposal of the cremains that the decedent may be eligible to be interred at a veterans' cemetery. Provides that if the cremains are not claimed by an authorizing agent after one year and the authorizing agent then fails to respond within 30 days to the funeral director's written request for disposition instructions, the funeral director must then contact any veterans organization whose primary purpose is to locate, identify, and inter the unclaimed cremains of American veterans or any federally-chartered veterans service organization so that arrangements for the disposition of the cremains of the veteran, spouse of a veteran, or dependent child of a veteran may be made in a state or national veterans' cemetery. Provides that a funeral director complying with this Act is immune from any criminal or civil liability regarding the release of information relative to the determination of the status as a veteran or any available interment as a veteran or for the release of the cremains to a veterans' cemetery. Effective immediately."
jurisdiction: "us/states/il"
legislature: "Illinois General Assembly"
session: "96th"
identifier: "HB 516"
citation: "Illinois HB 516 (96th)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 3
action_count: 58
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2009-02-04"
last_action: "2009-07-27"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/662b787c-e6a2-4699-8fbc-f55da411ce25"
source_url: "http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=516&GAID=10&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=40878&SessionID=76&GA=96"
source_hash: "89e879166a3ae2a34abcd697d3333a52ade8ac185607f1ee8f0bf78314c1c3bb"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-il"]
---

# Illinois HB 516 (96th) — VETERANS-DISPOSITION CREMAINS

Creates the Disposition of Veterans' Cremains Act. Provides that a funeral director must make a reasonable effort to determine whether a deceased person, whose remains have been submitted for final disposition by cremation, was a veteran of the armed services ("veteran"), a spouse of a veteran, or the dependent child of a veteran. If there is uncertainty regarding the deceased person's status and no authorizing agent exists, the funeral director may allow the National Cemetery Administration's National Cemetery Scheduling Office, any veterans organization whose primary purpose is to locate, identify, and inter the unclaimed cremains of American veterans, or any federally-chartered veterans service organization to have access to the cremains and all information regarding the deceased person in the possession of the funeral director so that the deceased person's status may be determined. If the deceased person is identified as a veteran, spouse of a veteran, or dependent child of a veteran, requires the funeral director to notify the authorizing agent over the disposal of the cremains that the decedent may be eligible to be interred at a veterans' cemetery. Provides that if the cremains are not claimed by an authorizing agent after one year and the authorizing agent then fails to respond within 30 days to the funeral director's written request for disposition instructions, the funeral director must then contact any veterans organization whose primary purpose is to locate, identify, and inter the unclaimed cremains of American veterans or any federally-chartered veterans service organization so that arrangements for the disposition of the cremains of the veteran, spouse of a veteran, or dependent child of a veteran may be made in a state or national veterans' cemetery. Provides that a funeral director complying with this Act is immune from any criminal or civil liability regarding the release of information relative to the determination of the status as a veteran or any available interment as a veteran or for the release of the cremains to a veterans' cemetery. Effective immediately.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09600HB0516&GA=96&SessionId=76&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=40878&DocNum=516&GAID=10&Session=&print=true)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09600HB0516eng&GA=96&SessionId=76&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=40878&DocNum=516&GAID=10&Session=&print=true)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09600HB0516enr&GA=96&SessionId=76&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=40878&DocNum=516&GAID=10&Session=&print=true)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **114–0** (pass) · lower
- Third Reading — **58–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Lisa M. Dugan — primary (person)
- Tim Bivins — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2009-02-04** Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Lisa M. Dugan `filing`
- **2009-02-04** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2009-02-04** Referred to Rules Committee `referral-committee`
- **2009-02-09** Assigned to Veterans' Affairs Committee `referral-committee`
- **2009-02-11** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. LaShawn K. Ford
- **2009-02-19** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jil Tracy
- **2009-02-25** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Patricia R. Bellock
- **2009-03-05** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Veterans' Affairs Committee `amendment-introduction`
- **2009-03-05** House Committee Amendment No. 1 Adopted in Veterans' Affairs Committee; by Voice Vote `amendment-passage`
- **2009-03-05** Do Pass as Amended / Short Debate Veterans' Affairs Committee; 022-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2009-03-05** Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate
- **2009-03-06** Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Michael P. McAuliffe
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Mike Bost
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Michael G. Connelly
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Keith Farnham
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Robert F. Flider
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jack D. Franks
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jehan A. Gordon
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Kevin Joyce
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Joseph M. Lyons
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Emily McAsey
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jerry L. Mitchell
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Donald L. Moffitt
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Elaine Nekritz
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. JoAnn D. Osmond
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Brandon W. Phelps
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Robert W. Pritchard
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Dennis M. Reboletti
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jim Sacia
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Patrick J. Verschoore
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Ronald A. Wait
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Mark L. Walker
- **2009-03-06** Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Jim Watson
- **2009-03-23** Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2009-03-23** Held on Calendar Order of Second Reading - Short Debate `reading-2`
- **2009-03-24** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate
- **2009-03-24** Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 114-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2009-03-25** Arrive in Senate `introduction`
- **2009-03-25** Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading March 26, 2009 `reading-1`
- **2009-03-27** Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. John J. Cullerton
- **2009-03-27** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Don Harmon
- **2009-03-30** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2009-03-30** Referred to Assignments `referral-committee`
- **2009-04-15** Assigned to State Government and Veterans Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2009-04-21** Alternate Chief Sponsor Changed to Sen. Toi W. Hutchinson
- **2009-04-23** Do Pass State Government and Veterans Affairs; 008-000-000 `committee-passage`
- **2009-04-23** Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading April 28, 2009
- **2009-05-01** Added as Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Linda Holmes
- **2009-05-07** Second Reading `reading-2`
- **2009-05-07** Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading ** May 18, 2009
- **2009-05-11** Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Tim Bivins
- **2009-05-19** Third Reading - Passed; 058-000-000 `reading-3, passage`
- **2009-05-19** Passed Both Houses
- **2009-06-17** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2009-07-27** Governor Approved `executive-signature`
- **2009-07-27** Effective Date July 27, 2009
- **2009-07-27** Public Act . . . . . . . . . 96-0081 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/662b787c-e6a2-4699-8fbc-f55da411ce25`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Illinois legislature records).