100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2017 and 2018
SB1864

 

Introduced 2/9/2017, by Sen. Chapin Rose

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
750 ILCS 5/513  from Ch. 40, par. 513

    Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. In provisions governing the award of sums of money for the education of a non-minor child, changes "educational expenses" to "reasonable and necessary educational expenses". Provides that in making an award for reasonable and necessary educational expenses, the court shall consider any grants, scholarships, tuition assistance, or other financial aid available to the child.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB1864LRB100 08606 HEP 18740 b

1    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of
5Marriage Act is amended by changing Section 513 as follows:
 
6    (750 ILCS 5/513)  (from Ch. 40, par. 513)
7    Sec. 513. Reasonable and necessary educational Educational
8expenses for a non-minor child.
9    (a) The court may award sums of money out of the property
10and income of either or both parties or the estate of a
11deceased parent, as equity may require, for the reasonable and
12necessary educational expenses of any child of the parties.
13Unless otherwise agreed to by the parties, all reasonable and
14necessary educational expenses which are the subject of a
15petition brought pursuant to this Section shall be incurred no
16later than the student's 23rd birthday, except for good cause
17shown, but in no event later than the child's 25th birthday.
18    (b) Regardless of whether an award has been made under
19subsection (a), the court may require both parties and the
20child to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
21(FAFSA) and other financial aid forms and to submit any form of
22that type prior to the designated submission deadline for the
23form. The court may require either or both parties to provide

 

 

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1funds for the child so as to pay for the cost of up to 5 college
2applications, the cost of 2 standardized college entrance
3examinations, and the cost of one standardized college entrance
4examination preparatory course.
5    (c) The authority under this Section to make provision for
6reasonable and necessary educational expenses extends not only
7to periods of college education or vocational or professional
8or other training after graduation from high school, but also
9to any period during which the child of the parties is still
10attending high school, even though he or she attained the age
11of 19.
12    (d) Reasonable and necessary educational Educational
13expenses may include, but shall not be limited to, the
14following:
15        (1) except for good cause shown, the actual cost of the
16    child's post-secondary expenses, including tuition and
17    fees, provided that the cost for tuition and fees does not
18    exceed the amount of in-state tuition and fees paid by a
19    student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
20    for the same academic year;
21        (2) except for good cause shown, the actual costs of
22    the child's housing expenses, whether on-campus or
23    off-campus, provided that the housing expenses do not
24    exceed the cost for the same academic year of a
25    double-occupancy student room, with a standard meal plan,
26    in a residence hall operated by the University of Illinois

 

 

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1    at Urbana-Champaign;
2        (3) the actual costs of the child's medical expenses,
3    including medical insurance, and dental expenses;
4        (4) the reasonable living expenses of the child during
5    the academic year and periods of recess:
6            (A) if the child is a resident student attending a
7        post-secondary educational program; or
8            (B) if the child is living with one party at that
9        party's home and attending a post-secondary
10        educational program as a non-resident student, in
11        which case the living expenses include an amount that
12        pays for the reasonable cost of the child's food,
13        utilities, and transportation; and
14        (5) the cost of books and other supplies necessary to
15    attend college.
16    (e) Sums may be ordered payable to the child, to either
17party, or to the educational institution, directly or through a
18special account or trust created for that purpose, as the court
19sees fit.
20    (f) If reasonable and necessary educational expenses are
21ordered payable, each party and the child shall sign any
22consent necessary for the educational institution to provide a
23supporting party with access to the child's academic
24transcripts, records, and grade reports. The consent shall not
25apply to any non-academic records. Failure to execute the
26required consent may be a basis for a modification or

 

 

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1termination of any order entered under this Section. Unless the
2court specifically finds that the child's safety would be
3jeopardized, each party is entitled to know the name of the
4educational institution the child attends.
5    (g) The authority under this Section to make provision for
6reasonable and necessary educational expenses terminates when
7the child either: fails to maintain a cumulative "C" grade
8point average, except in the event of illness or other good
9cause shown; attains the age of 23; receives a baccalaureate
10degree; or marries. A child's enlisting in the armed forces,
11being incarcerated, or becoming pregnant does not terminate the
12court's authority to make provisions for the reasonable and
13necessary educational expenses for the child under this
14Section.
15    (h) An account established prior to the dissolution that is
16to be used for the child's post-secondary education, that is an
17account in a state tuition program under Section 529 of the
18Internal Revenue Code, or that is some other college savings
19plan, is to be considered by the court to be a resource of the
20child, provided that any post-judgment contribution made by a
21party to such an account is to be considered a contribution
22from that party.
23    (i) The child is not a third party beneficiary to the
24settlement agreement or judgment between the parties after
25trial and is not entitled to file a petition for contribution.
26If the parties' settlement agreement describes the manner in

 

 

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1which a child's reasonable and necessary educational expenses
2will be paid, or if the court makes an award pursuant to this
3Section, then the parties are responsible pursuant to that
4agreement or award for the child's reasonable and necessary
5educational expenses, but in no event shall the court consider
6the child a third party beneficiary of that provision. In the
7event of the death or legal disability of a party who would
8have the right to file a petition for contribution, the child
9of the party may file a petition for contribution.
10    (j) In making awards under this Section, or pursuant to a
11petition or motion to decrease, modify, or terminate any such
12award, the court shall consider all relevant factors that
13appear reasonable and necessary, including:
14        (1) The present and future financial resources of both
15    parties to meet their needs, including, but not limited to,
16    savings for retirement.
17        (2) The standard of living the child would have enjoyed
18    had the marriage not been dissolved.
19        (3) The financial resources of the child.
20        (4) The child's academic performance.
21        (5) Any grants, scholarships, tuition assistance, or
22    other financial aid available to the child.
23    (k) The establishment of an obligation to pay under this
24Section is retroactive only to the date of filing a petition.
25The right to enforce a prior obligation to pay may be enforced
26either before or after the obligation is incurred.

 

 

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1(Source: P.A. 99-90, eff. 1-1-16; 99-143, eff. 7-27-15; 99-642,
2eff. 7-28-16; 99-763, eff. 1-1-17.)