HB4318 Enrolled LRB093 20401 LCB 46179 b

1     AN ACT concerning visitation.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of
5 Marriage Act is amended by changing Section 607 as follows:
 
6     (750 ILCS 5/607)  (from Ch. 40, par. 607)
7     Sec. 607. Visitation.
8     (a) A parent not granted custody of the child is entitled
9 to reasonable visitation rights unless the court finds, after a
10 hearing, that visitation would endanger seriously the child's
11 physical, mental, moral or emotional health. If the custodian's
12 street address is not identified, pursuant to Section 708, the
13 court shall require the parties to identify reasonable
14 alternative arrangements for visitation by a non-custodial
15 parent, including but not limited to visitation of the minor
16 child at the residence of another person or at a local public
17 or private facility.
18     (a-3) Nothing in subsection (a-5) of this Section shall
19 apply to a child in whose interests a petition under Section
20 2-13 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 is pending.
21     (a-5)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection
22 (a-5), any grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling may file
23 a petition for visitation rights to a minor child if there is
24 an unreasonable denial of visitation by a parent and at least
25 one of the following conditions exists:
26         (A) one parent of the child is incompetent as a matter
27     of law or deceased or has been sentenced to a period of
28     imprisonment for more than 1 year;
29         (B) the child's mother and father are divorced or have
30     been legally separated from each other during the 3 month
31     period prior to the filing of the petition and at least one
32     parent does not object to the grandparent,

 

 

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1     great-grandparent, or sibling having visitation with the
2     child. The visitation of the grandparent,
3     great-grandparent, or sibling must not diminish the
4     visitation of the parent who is not related to the
5     grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling seeking
6     visitation;
7         (C) the court, other than a Juvenile Court, has
8     terminated a parent-child relationship and the
9     grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling is the parent
10     of the person whose parental rights have been terminated,
11     except in cases of adoption. The visitation must not be
12     used to allow the parent who lost parental rights to
13     unlawfully visit with the child;
14         (D) the child is illegitimate, the parents are not
15     living together, and the petitioner is a maternal
16     grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the
17     illegitimate child; or
18         (E) the child is illegitimate, the parents are not
19     living together, the petitioner is a paternal grandparent,
20     great-grandparent, or sibling, and the paternity has been
21     established by a court of competent jurisdiction.
22     (2) The grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of a
23 parent whose parental rights have been terminated through an
24 adoption proceeding may not petition for visitation rights.
25     (3) In making a determination under this subsection (a-5),
26 there is a rebuttable presumption that a fit parent's actions
27 and decisions regarding grandparent, great-grandparent, or
28 sibling visitation are not harmful to the child's mental,
29 physical, or emotional health. The burden is on the party
30 filing a petition under this Section to prove that the parent's
31 actions and decisions regarding visitation times are harmful to
32 the child's mental, physical, or emotional health.
33     (4) In determining whether to grant visitation, the court
34 shall consider the following:
35         (A) the preference of the child if the child is
36     determined to be of sufficient maturity to express a

 

 

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1     preference;
2         (B) the mental and physical health of the child;
3         (C) the mental and physical health of the grandparent,
4     great-grandparent, or sibling;
5         (D) the length and quality of the prior relationship
6     between the child and the grandparent, great-grandparent,
7     or sibling;
8         (E) the good faith of the party in filing the petition;
9         (F) the good faith of the person denying visitation;
10         (G) the quantity of the visitation time requested and
11     the potential adverse impact that visitation would have on
12     the child's customary activities;
13         (H) whether the child resided with the petitioner for
14     at least 6 consecutive months with or without the current
15     custodian present;
16         (I) whether the petitioner had frequent or regular
17     contact with the child for at least 12 consecutive months;
18     and
19         (J) any other fact that establishes that the loss of
20     the relationship between the petitioner and the child is
21     likely to harm the child's mental, physical, or emotional
22     health.
23     (5) The court may order visitation rights for the
24 grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling that include
25 reasonable access without requiring overnight or possessory
26 visitation.
27     (a-7)(1) Unless by stipulation of the parties, no motion to
28 modify a grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling visitation
29 order may be made earlier than 2 years after the date the order
30 was filed, unless the court permits it to be made on the basis
31 of affidavits that there is reason to believe the child's
32 present environment may endanger seriously the child's mental,
33 physical, or emotional health.
34     (2) The court shall not modify a prior grandparent,
35 great-grandparent, or sibling visitation order unless it finds
36 by clear and convincing evidence, upon the basis of facts that

 

 

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1 have arisen since the prior visitation order or that were
2 unknown to the court at the time of entry of the prior
3 visitation, that a change has occurred in the circumstances of
4 the child or his or her custodian, and that the modification is
5 necessary to protect the mental, physical, or emotional health
6 of the child. The court shall state in its decision specific
7 findings of fact in support of its modification or termination
8 of the grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling visitation.
9     (3) Attorney fees and costs shall be assessed against a
10 party seeking modification of the visitation order if the court
11 finds that the modification action is vexatious and constitutes
12 harassment.
13     (4) Notice under this subsection (a-7) shall be given as
14 provided in subsections (c) and (d) of Section 601.
15     (b) (1) (Blank.) The court may grant reasonable visitation
16 privileges to a grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of
17 any minor child upon petition to the court by the grandparents
18 or great-grandparents or on behalf of the sibling, with notice
19 to the parties required to be notified under Section 601 of
20 this Act, if the court determines that it is in the best
21 interests and welfare of the child, and may issue any necessary
22 orders to enforce such visitation privileges. Except as
23 provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection (b), a petition
24 for visitation privileges may be filed under this paragraph (1)
25 whether or not a petition pursuant to this Act has been
26 previously filed or is currently pending if one or more of the
27 following circumstances exist:
28         (A) the parents are not currently cohabiting on a
29     permanent or an indefinite basis;
30         (B) one of the parents has been absent from the marital
31     abode for more than one month without the spouse knowing
32     his or her whereabouts;
33         (C) one of the parents is deceased;
34         (D) one of the parents joins in the petition with the
35     grandparents, great-grandparents, or sibling; or
36         (E) a sibling is in State custody.

 

 

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1     (1.5) The Court may grant reasonable visitation privileges
2 to a stepparent upon petition to the court by the stepparent,
3 with notice to the parties required to be notified under
4 Section 601 of this Act, if the court determines that it is in
5 the best interests and welfare of the child, and may issue any
6 necessary orders to enforce those visitation privileges. A
7 petition for visitation privileges may be filed under this
8 paragraph (1.5) whether or not a petition pursuant to this Act
9 has been previously filed or is currently pending if the
10 following circumstances are met:
11         (A) the child is at least 12 years old;
12         (B) the child resided continuously with the parent and
13     stepparent for at least 5 years;
14         (C) the parent is deceased or is disabled and is unable
15     to care for the child;
16         (D) the child wishes to have reasonable visitation with
17     the stepparent; and
18         (E) the stepparent was providing for the care, control,
19     and welfare to the child prior to the initiation of the
20     petition for visitation.
21     (2)(A) A petition for visitation privileges shall not be
22 filed pursuant to this subsection (b) by the parents or
23 grandparents of a putative father if the paternity of the
24 putative father has not been legally established.
25     (B) A petition for visitation privileges may not be filed
26 under this subsection (b) if the child who is the subject of
27 the grandparents' or great-grandparents' petition has been
28 voluntarily surrendered by the parent or parents, except for a
29 surrender to the Illinois Department of Children and Family
30 Services or a foster care facility, or has been previously
31 adopted by an individual or individuals who are not related to
32 the biological parents of the child or is the subject of a
33 pending adoption petition by an individual or individuals who
34 are not related to the biological parents of the child.
35     (3) (Blank). When one parent is deceased, the surviving
36 parent shall not interfere with the visitation rights of the

 

 

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1 grandparents.
2     (c) The court may modify an order granting or denying
3 visitation rights of a parent whenever modification would serve
4 the best interest of the child; but the court shall not
5 restrict a parent's visitation rights unless it finds that the
6 visitation would endanger seriously the child's physical,
7 mental, moral or emotional health. The court may modify an
8 order granting, denying, or limiting visitation rights of a
9 grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of any minor child
10 whenever a change of circumstances has occurred based on facts
11 occurring subsequent to the judgment and the court finds by
12 clear and convincing evidence that the modification is in the
13 best interest of the minor child.
14     (d) If any court has entered an order prohibiting a
15 non-custodial parent of a child from any contact with a child
16 or restricting the non-custodial parent's contact with the
17 child, the following provisions shall apply:
18         (1) If an order has been entered granting visitation
19     privileges with the child to a grandparent or
20     great-grandparent who is related to the child through the
21     non-custodial parent, the visitation privileges of the
22     grandparent or great-grandparent may be revoked if:
23             (i) a court has entered an order prohibiting the
24         non-custodial parent from any contact with the child,
25         and the grandparent or great-grandparent is found to
26         have used his or her visitation privileges to
27         facilitate contact between the child and the
28         non-custodial parent; or
29             (ii) a court has entered an order restricting the
30         non-custodial parent's contact with the child, and the
31         grandparent or great-grandparent is found to have used
32         his or her visitation privileges to facilitate contact
33         between the child and the non-custodial parent in a
34         manner that violates the terms of the order restricting
35         the non-custodial parent's contact with the child.
36         Nothing in this subdivision (1) limits the authority of

 

 

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1     the court to enforce its orders in any manner permitted by
2     law.
3         (2) Any order granting visitation privileges with the
4     child to a grandparent or great-grandparent who is related
5     to the child through the non-custodial parent shall contain
6     the following provision:
7         "If the (grandparent or great-grandparent, whichever
8     is applicable) who has been granted visitation privileges
9     under this order uses the visitation privileges to
10     facilitate contact between the child and the child's
11     non-custodial parent, the visitation privileges granted
12     under this order shall be permanently revoked."
13     (e) No parent, not granted custody of the child, or
14 grandparent, or great-grandparent, or stepparent, or sibling
15 of any minor child, convicted of any offense involving an
16 illegal sex act perpetrated upon a victim less than 18 years of
17 age including but not limited to offenses for violations of
18 Article 12 of the Criminal Code of 1961, is entitled to
19 visitation rights while incarcerated or while on parole,
20 probation, conditional discharge, periodic imprisonment, or
21 mandatory supervised release for that offense, and upon
22 discharge from incarceration for a misdemeanor offense or upon
23 discharge from parole, probation, conditional discharge,
24 periodic imprisonment, or mandatory supervised release for a
25 felony offense, visitation shall be denied until the person
26 successfully completes a treatment program approved by the
27 court.
28     (f) Unless the court determines, after considering all
29 relevant factors, including but not limited to those set forth
30 in Section 602(a), that it would be in the best interests of
31 the child to allow visitation, the court shall not enter an
32 order providing visitation rights and pursuant to a motion to
33 modify visitation shall revoke visitation rights previously
34 granted to any person who would otherwise be entitled to
35 petition for visitation rights under this Section who has been
36 convicted of first degree murder of the parent, grandparent,

 

 

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1 great-grandparent, or sibling of the child who is the subject
2 of the order. Until an order is entered pursuant to this
3 subsection, no person shall visit, with the child present, a
4 person who has been convicted of first degree murder of the
5 parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the
6 child without the consent of the child's parent, other than a
7 parent convicted of first degree murder as set forth herein, or
8 legal guardian.
9     (g) If an order has been entered limiting, for cause, a
10 minor child's contact or visitation with a grandparent,
11 great-grandparent, or sibling on the grounds that it was in the
12 best interest of the child to do so, that order may be modified
13 only upon a showing of a substantial change in circumstances
14 occurring subsequent to the entry of the order with proof by
15 clear and convincing evidence that modification is in the best
16 interest of the minor child.
17 (Source: P.A. 90-782, eff. 8-14-98; 90-801, eff. 6-1-99;
18 91-357, eff. 7-29-99; 91-610, eff. 8-19-99.)