101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB5654

 

Introduced , by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
410 ILCS 535/17  from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 73-17
410 ILCS 535/25.3
410 ILCS 535/25.4

    Amends the Vital Records Act. Removes language requiring that the State Registrar of Vital Records establish a new certificate of birth when he receives a declaration stating that a person has undergone treatment for the purpose of gender transition, or that the individual has an intersex condition, and that the sex designation on such person's birth record should therefore be changed. Provides that the State Registrar of Vital Records must establish a new certificate of birth when he receives a statement signed by the person in which the person attests to making the request for the purpose of affirming the person's gender identity or intersex condition and that the sex designation on the person's certificate of birth should therefore be changed. Provides that the fee for a new certificate of birth shall not be required from persons upon release from the Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice, but the person is entitled to only one new certificate of birth fee waiver. Provides that the fee for a new certificate of birth shall be waived for homeless persons, youths in care, and persons under the age of 27 who were youths in care. Effective January 1, 2021.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5654LRB101 20355 CPF 69900 b

1    AN ACT concerning health.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Vital Records Act is amended by changing
5Sections 17, 25.3, and 25.4 as follows:
 
6    (410 ILCS 535/17)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 73-17)
7    Sec. 17. (1) For a person born in this State, the State
8Registrar of Vital Records shall establish a new certificate of
9birth when he receives any of the following:
10        (a) A certificate of adoption as provided in Section 16
11    or a certified copy of the order of adoption together with
12    the information necessary to identify the original
13    certificate of birth and to establish the new certificate
14    of birth; except that a new certificate of birth shall not
15    be established if so requested by the court ordering the
16    adoption, the adoptive parents, or the adopted person.
17        (b) A certificate of adoption or a certified copy of
18    the order of adoption entered in a court of competent
19    jurisdiction of any other state or country declaring
20    adopted a child born in the State of Illinois, together
21    with the information necessary to identify the original
22    certificate of birth and to establish the new certificate
23    of birth; except that a new certificate of birth shall not

 

 

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1    be established if so requested by the court ordering the
2    adoption, the adoptive parents, or the adopted person.
3        (c) A request that a new certificate be established and
4    such evidence as required by regulation proving that such
5    person has been legitimatized, or that the circuit court,
6    the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (formerly
7    Illinois Department of Public Aid), or a court or
8    administrative agency of any other state has established
9    the paternity of such a person by judicial or
10    administrative processes or by voluntary acknowledgment,
11    which is accompanied by the social security numbers of all
12    persons determined and presumed to be the parents.
13        (d) (Blank). A declaration by a licensed health care
14    professional or licensed mental health professional who
15    has treated or evaluated a person stating that the person
16    has undergone treatment that is clinically appropriate for
17    that individual for the purpose of gender transition, based
18    on contemporary medical standards, or that the individual
19    has an intersex condition, and that the sex designation on
20    such person's birth record should therefore be changed. The
21    information in the declaration shall be proved by the
22    licensed health care professional or licensed mental
23    health professional signing and dating it in substantially
24    the following form: "I declare (or certify, verify, or
25    state) under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true
26    and correct. Executed on (date).". The new certificate of

 

 

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1    birth shall reflect any legal name change, so long as the
2    appropriate documentation of the name change is submitted.
3        (e) A statement signed by the person in which the
4    person attests to making the request for the purpose of
5    affirming the person's gender identity or intersex
6    condition and that the sex designation on the person's
7    certificate of birth should therefore be changed.
8    Each request for a new certificate of birth shall be
9accompanied by a fee of $15 and entitles the applicant to one
10certification or certified copy of the new certificate. If the
11request is for additional copies, it shall be accompanied by a
12fee of $2 for each additional certification or certified copy.
13The fee for a new certificate of birth shall not be required
14from a person (1) upon release on parole, mandatory supervised
15release, final discharge, or pardon from the Department of
16Corrections if the person presents a prescribed verification
17form completed by the Department of Corrections verifying the
18released person's date of birth and social security number, or
19(2) placed on aftercare release under the Juvenile Court Act of
201987, upon release on parole, mandatory supervised release,
21final discharge, or pardon from the Department of Juvenile
22Justice if the person presents a prescribed verification form
23completed by the Department of Juvenile Justice verifying the
24person's date of birth and social security number. However, the
25person is entitled to only one new certificate of birth fee
26waiver.

 

 

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1    (2) When a new certificate of birth is established, the
2actual place and date of birth shall be shown; provided, in the
3case of adoption of a person born in this State by parents who
4were residents of this State at the time of the birth of the
5adopted person, the place of birth may be shown as the place of
6residence of the adoptive parents at the time of such person's
7birth, if specifically requested by them, and any new
8certificate of birth established prior to the effective date of
9this amendatory Act may be corrected accordingly if so
10requested by the adoptive parents or the adopted person when of
11legal age. The social security numbers of the parents shall not
12be recorded on the certificate of birth. The social security
13numbers may only be used for purposes allowed under federal
14law. The new certificate shall be substituted for the original
15certificate of birth:
16        (a) Thereafter, the original certificate and the
17    evidence of paternity, legitimation, or change of sex
18    designation shall not be subject to inspection or
19    certification except upon order of the circuit court,
20    request of the person named on the certificate of birth, or
21    as provided by regulation. If the new certificate was
22    issued subsequent to an adoption, then the evidence of
23    adoption is not subject to inspection or certification
24    except upon order of the circuit court or as provided by
25    rule, and the original certificate shall not be subject to
26    inspection until the adopted person has reached the age of

 

 

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1    21; thereafter, the original certificate shall be made
2    available as provided by Section 18.1b of the Adoption Act,
3    and nothing in this subsection shall impede or prohibit
4    access to the original birth certificate under Section
5    18.1b of the Adoption Act.
6        (b) Upon receipt of notice of annulment of adoption,
7    the original certificate of birth shall be restored to its
8    place in the files, and the new certificate and evidence
9    shall not be subject to inspection or certification except
10    upon order of the circuit court.
11    (3) If no certificate of birth is on file for the person
12for whom a new certificate is to be established under this
13Section, a delayed record of birth shall be filed with the
14State Registrar of Vital Records as provided in Section 14 or
15Section 15 of this Act before a new certificate of birth is
16established, except that when the date and place of birth and
17parentage have been established in the adoption proceedings, a
18delayed record shall not be required.
19    (4) When a new certificate of birth is established by the
20State Registrar of Vital Records, all copies of the original
21certificate of birth in the custody of any custodian of
22permanent local records in this State shall be transmitted to
23the State Registrar of Vital Records as directed, and shall be
24sealed from inspection except as provided by Section 18.1b of
25the Adoption Act.
26    (5) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to prohibit

 

 

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1the amendment of a birth certificate in accordance with
2subsection (6) of Section 22.
3(Source: P.A. 100-360, eff. 1-1-18; 100-406, eff. 1-1-18.)
 
4    (410 ILCS 535/25.3)
5    Sec. 25.3. Homeless person birth record request.
6    (a) For the purposes of this Section, an individual's
7status as a homeless person may be verified by a human services
8agency, legal services agency, or other similar agency that has
9knowledge of the individual's housing status, including, but
10not limited to:
11        (1) a homeless service agency receiving federal,
12    State, county, or municipal funding to provide those
13    services or otherwise sanctioned by a local continuum of
14    care;
15        (2) an attorney licensed to practice in the State;
16        (3) a public school homeless liaison or school social
17    worker; or
18        (4) a human services provider funded by the State to
19    serve homeless or runaway youth, individuals with mental
20    illness, or individuals with addictions.
21    Individuals who are homeless must not be charged for this
22verification.
23    Anyone who knowingly or purposefully falsifies this
24verification is subject to a penalty of $100.
25    (b) Applicable fees under Section 17 for a new certificate

 

 

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1of birth and under Section 25 of this Act for a search for a
2birth record or a certified copy of a birth record shall be
3waived for all requests made by a homeless person whose status
4is verified under subsection (a) of this Section.
5    The State Registrar of Vital Records shall establish
6standards and procedures consistent with this Section for
7waiver of such applicable fees.
8    (c) A homeless person shall be provided no more than 4
9birth records annually under this Section.
10(Source: P.A. 100-506, eff. 1-1-18.)
 
11    (410 ILCS 535/25.4)
12    Sec. 25.4. Youth in care birth record request.
13    (a) For the purposes of this Section, an individual's
14status as a youth in care may be verified:
15        (1) with a copy of the court order placing the youth in
16    the guardianship or custody of the Department of Children
17    and Family Services or terminating the Department of
18    Children and Family Services' guardianship or custody of
19    the youth; or
20        (2) by a human services agency, legal services agency,
21    or other similar agency that has knowledge of the
22    individual's youth in care status, including, but not
23    limited to:
24            (A) a child welfare agency, including the
25        Department of Children and Family Services; or

 

 

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1            (B) the attorney or guardian ad litem who served as
2        the youth in care's attorney or guardian ad litem
3        during proceedings under the Juvenile Court Act of
4        1987.
5    A person described in subsection (b) of this Section must
6not be charged for verification under this Section.
7    A person who knowingly or purposefully falsifies this
8verification is subject to a penalty of $100.
9    (b) The applicable fees under Section 17 for a new
10certificate of birth and under Section 25 of this Act for a
11search for a birth record or a certified copy of a birth record
12shall be waived for all requests made by:
13        (1) a youth in care, as defined in Section 4d of the
14    Children and Family Services Act, whose status is verified
15    under subsection (a) of this Section; or
16        (2) a person under the age of 27 who was a youth in
17    care, as defined in Section 4d of the Children and Family
18    Services Act, on or after his or her 18th birthday and
19    whose status is verified under subsection (a) of this
20    Section.
21    The State Registrar of Vital Records shall establish
22standards and procedures consistent with this Section for
23waiver of the applicable fees.
24    (c) A person shall be provided no more than 4 birth records
25annually under this Section.
26(Source: P.A. 100-619, eff. 1-1-19; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19.)
 

 

 

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1    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
21, 2021.