101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB2246

 

Introduced 4/4/2019, by Sen. Ram Villivalam

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
750 ILCS 50/15  from Ch. 40, par. 1519

    Amends the Adoption Act. Provides that if a child is placed for adoption, any relative who wishes to adopt the child, upon a written or oral motion to intervene, shall be made a party to the adoption proceeding. Provides that an intervening party may not exercise the right to a substitution of judge. Provides that if there is a grandparent who wishes to adopt, the court shall place the child with the grandparent unless the court makes an express finding based on clear and convincing evidence that placement with the grandparent would be harmful to the child's welfare. Provides that if no grandparent is available, the court shall place the child with another relative in the following order: an older sibling, an aunt or uncle, a cousin or cousins, or other relative. Provides that a relative may waive his or her right to adopt a child, and make the waiver conditional on the child being adopted by some other designated relative. Provides that if the designated relative fails to adopt the child, or the designative relative adopts the child and his or her parental rights to the child are subsequently terminated, then the rights waived may be reasserted. Provides that the court may enter an order requiring any relative who wishes to conditionally waive adoption rights to name the designated relative no less than 30 days after being made a party to the adoption proceeding.


LRB101 11904 LNS 58936 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2246LRB101 11904 LNS 58936 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 Adoption Act is amended by changing Section
515 as follows:
 
6    (750 ILCS 50/15)  (from Ch. 40, par. 1519)
7    Sec. 15. Placement of child - religion; relation.
8    (a) The welfare of the child shall be the prime
9consideration in all adoption proceedings. The court in
10entering a judgment of adoption shall, whenever possible, give
11custody through adoption to a petitioner or petitioners of the
12same religious belief as that of the child.
13    (b) It is the public policy of this State to favor adoption
14of a child by a relative unless it is shown by clear and
15convincing evidence that any such adoption would be harmful to
16the welfare of the child.
17    (c) If a child is placed for adoption, any relative who
18wishes to adopt the child and who is not already a party to the
19adoption proceeding, upon a written or oral motion to
20intervene, shall be made a party to the adoption proceeding,
21except that no one who becomes a party under this subsection
22may exercise the rights granted by paragraph (2) of subsection
23(a) of Section 2-1001 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

 

 

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1    (d) If there is a grandparent who wishes to adopt, the
2court shall place the child with the grandparent, unless after
3an evidentiary hearing the court makes an express finding based
4on clear and convincing evidence that placement with the
5grandparent would be harmful to the child's welfare.
6    (e) If no grandparent is available, then if there is an
7older sibling who wishes to adopt, the court shall place the
8child with the older sibling, unless after an evidentiary
9hearing the court makes an express finding based on clear and
10convincing evidence that placement with the older sibling would
11be harmful to the child's welfare.
12    (f) If no grandparent or older sibling is available, then
13if there is an aunt or uncle who wishes to adopt, the court
14shall place the child with the aunt or uncle, or both, unless
15after an evidentiary hearing the court makes an express finding
16based on clear and convincing evidence that placement with the
17aunt or uncle, or both, would be harmful to the child's
18welfare.
19    (g) If no grandparent, older sibling, or aunt or uncle is
20available, then if there is a cousin who wishes to adopt, the
21court shall place the child with the cousin, unless after an
22evidentiary hearing the court makes an express finding based on
23clear and convincing evidence that placement with the cousin or
24cousins would be harmful to the child's welfare.
25    (h) If no grandparent, older sibling, aunt or uncle, or
26cousin is available, then if there is a relative who wishes to

 

 

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1adopt, the court shall place the child with the relative,
2unless after an evidentiary hearing the court makes an express
3finding based on clear and convincing evidence that placement
4with the relative would be harmful to the child's welfare.
5    (i) A grandparent, older sibling, aunt or uncle, or cousin
6may waive his or her right to adopt a child and make the waiver
7conditional on the child being adopted by some other designated
8relative. If the designated relative fails to adopt the child,
9or if the designated relative does adopt the child and his or
10her parental rights to the child are subsequently terminated,
11then the rights waived under this subsection may be reasserted.
12No relative may waive and subsequently reassert rights in this
13manner more than twice in an adoption proceeding.
14    (j) The court, on motion of any party or on its own motion,
15may enter an order requiring any relative who wishes to
16conditionally waive adoption rights under subsection (i) to
17name the designated relative or relatives no less than 30 days
18after being made a party to the adoption proceeding.
19(Source: P.A. 84-452.)