* Tribune…

State licensing regulators visited South Chicago Chapel funeral home at least twice in the wake of problems at its owners’ crematory business. But there is no indication in state paperwork that the problems found at Heights Crematory or other red flags triggered aggressive regular inspections of the Morgans’ businesses, or their ongoing operating practices.

Because that’s not how the system is set up: Illinois investigations of funeral homes typically come only after complaints are made, according to state guidance.

“It’s pretty obvious to be angry at the Morgans for their alleged nefarious activities, but frankly at this point I’m really angry at the agencies in Illinois that should have been keeping their eye on them,” said Michael D. Sharkey, general counsel at the Illinois Funeral Directors Association.

* Neil Steinberg…

Meanwhile, Illinois funeral directors are licensed but not the funeral homes that they operate, which are inspected when they open or change hands, and never inspected again, unless there is a complaint, and sometimes not even then. Which leads to periodic stomach-churning horrors, such as the 56 decomposing bodies found at a funeral home in South Deering, documented in the Sun-Times this past week.

Across the border is a much different situation.

“In the state of Wisconsin, there is licensing of the actual physical plant of the funeral home,” said Michael D. Sharkey, a funeral director in Wisconsin for 30 years. “They do not do that in Illinois. When something goes wrong, nobody notices. That comes as a surprise to some people.”

Sharkey is uniquely situated to compare the two states, being the legal representative of both the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association and the Illinois Funeral Directors Association, as well as the associations in South Dakota and Minnesota, where he lives.

This all seems pretty straight-forward. Illinois law has a gaping hole that excludes funeral homes from regular inspections. The funeral directors want state regulation, so what’s the holdup?

I figure there’s either a brick on this somewhere or nobody has really pushed the idea, but whatever the case it’s time to start moving forward.

And maybe put the oversight under IDPH or another agency qualified to deal with this stuff.