Public Act 096-1114
 
HB5459 EnrolledLRB096 18646 KTG 34029 b


  
    AN ACT concerning children.
  
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:
  
 
 
    Section 5. The Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act is 
amended  by changing Section 35 as follows:
 
    (325 ILCS 2/35)


    Sec. 35. Information for relinquishing person.  
    (a) A hospital, police
station, fire station,
or emergency

medical facility that receives a newborn infant relinquished in 
accordance with
this
Act must offer an information packet to 
the relinquishing person and, if
possible, must clearly inform 
the relinquishing person that his or her
acceptance of the

information is completely voluntary, that registration with 
the Illinois
Adoption Registry and Medical Information 
Exchange is voluntary, that the
person will remain anonymous if 
he or she completes a Denial of Information
Exchange, and that 
the person has the option to provide medical information
only 
and still remain anonymous.  The
information packet must include 
all of
the following:


        (1) Blank All Illinois Adoption Registry and Medical 
    Information Exchange
application forms, including the 
    Medical Information
Exchange Questionnaire and
the web 
    site address and toll-free phone number of the Registry.


        (2) Written notice of the following:


            (A) No sooner than 60 days following the date of 
        the
initial relinquishment of the infant to a hospital, 
        police station,
fire station, or emergency medical 
        facility, the child-placing agency or the
Department 
        will
commence proceedings for the termination of

        parental rights and placement of the infant for

        adoption.


            (B) Failure of a parent of the
infant to contact 
        the Department and
petition for the return of custody 
        of the
infant before termination of parental rights

        bars any future action asserting legal rights
with 
        respect to the infant.


        (3) A resource list of providers of counseling
services 
    including grief counseling, pregnancy counseling, and

    counseling regarding adoption and other available options 
    for placement of the
infant.


    Upon request of a parent, the Department of Public Health 
shall provide the
application forms for the Illinois Adoption 
Registry and Medical Information
Exchange to hospitals, police 
stations, fire stations, and emergency
medical facilities. 

    (b) The information packet given to a relinquishing parent 
in accordance with this Act shall include, in addition to other 
information required under this Act, the following: 
        (1) A brochure (with a self-mailer attached) that 
    describes this Act and the rights of birth parents, 
    including an optional section for the parent to complete 
    and mail to the Department of Children and Family Services, 
    that shall ask for basic anonymous background information 
    about the relinquished child.  This brochure shall be 
    maintained by the Department on its website. 
        (2) A brochure that describes the Illinois Adoption 
    Registry, including a toll-free number and website 
    information. This brochure shall be maintained on the 
    Office of Vital Records website. 
        (3) A brochure describing postpartum health 
    information for the mother. 
    The information packet shall be designed in coordination 
between the Office of Vital Records and the Department of 
Children and Family Services, with the exception of the 
resource list of providers of counseling services and adoption 
agencies, which shall be provided by the hospital, fire 
station, police station, sheriff's office, or emergency 
medical facility. 
(Source: P.A. 92-408, eff. 8-17-01; 92-432, eff. 8-17-01; 
93-820, eff. 7-27-04.)

  
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.