Lawmaker: Iowa bill would pay for child burials

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- A Cedar Falls lawmaker is pushing for legislation that would help low-income families pay for child burials.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports (http://bit.ly/1gV13rA ) Democratic Rep. Bob Kressig's bill would give qualifying individuals up to $2,000 for funeral expenses after the death of a child. The measure has been assigned to an appropriations subcommittee.

Kressig says the legislation was inspired by Sing Me to Heaven, a nonprofit group in northeast Iowa that raises money to help pay for such funerals. Group organizers say the cost of a funeral can range from $2,000 to $10,000 or more.

The bill would provide $100,000 to be administered through the state Department of Public Health. The amount is not expected to be used up within a year, and the funds would not necessarily be recurring.