97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB1589

 

Introduced 2/15/2011, by Rep. Robert W. Pritchard

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
750 ILCS 5/603  from Ch. 40, par. 603
750 ILCS 5/606  from Ch. 40, par. 606
750 ILCS 5/607  from Ch. 40, par. 607
750 ILCS 5/610  from Ch. 40, par. 610

    Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Provides that any temporary order that modifies custody, in whole or in part, because of a party's deployment as a member of the United States Armed Forces must also provide that after a specified time following the end of the deployment, the custody order in effect prior to the deployment must be reinstated, unless the other party, who bears the burden of proof, shows that it is not in the best interest of the child to reinstate the order. Provides that if the party who was not deployed contests reinstatement of the prior order, that party bears the burden of proof to show that it should not be reinstated. Provides that in a custody hearing in which a parent is a member of the United States Armed Forces who is deployed or who has orders to be deployed: the proceedings shall, upon the service member's request, receive expedited priority in being set for hearing; the service member shall be permitted to testify by telephone or other electronic means when the service member is unavailable to appear due to the deployment; and, upon motion, the court may allow the deployed parent to designate another person to exercise the visitation that the deployed parent has under the existing order, if the court determines that it is in the child's best interest. Makes other changes.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB1589LRB097 05412 AJO 45470 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 Sections 603, 606, 607, and
6610 as follows:
 
7    (750 ILCS 5/603)  (from Ch. 40, par. 603)
8    Sec. 603. Temporary Orders.
9    (a) A party to a custody proceeding, including a proceeding
10to modify custody, may move for a temporary custody order. The
11court may award temporary custody under the standards of
12Section 602 and the standards and procedures of Section 602.1,
13after a hearing, or, if there is no objection, solely on the
14basis of the affidavits. Any temporary custody order that
15modifies custody, in whole or in part, because of a party's
16deployment as a member of the United States Armed Forces must
17also provide that after a specified time after the end of the
18deployment, the custody order in effect prior to the deployment
19must be reinstated unless the other party, who bears the burden
20of proof, contests the reinstatement and shows that it is not
21in the best interest of the child to reinstate the custody
22order.
23    (b) If a proceeding for dissolution of marriage or legal

 

 

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1separation or declaration of invalidity of marriage is
2dismissed, any temporary custody order is vacated unless a
3parent or the child's custodian moves that the proceeding
4continue as a custody proceeding and the court finds, after a
5hearing, that the circumstances of the parents and the best
6interest of the child requires that a custody judgment be
7issued.
8    (c) If a custody proceeding commenced in the absence of a
9petition for dissolution of marriage or legal separation, under
10either subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (1), or paragraph (2), of
11subsection (d) of Section 601, is dismissed, any temporary
12custody order is vacated.
13(Source: P.A. 86-530; 87-1255.)
 
14    (750 ILCS 5/606)  (from Ch. 40, par. 606)
15    Sec. 606. Hearings.
16    (a) Custody proceedings shall receive priority in being set
17for hearing.
18    (b) The court may tax as costs the payment of necessary
19travel and other expenses incurred by any person whose presence
20at the hearing the court deems necessary to determine the best
21interest of the child.
22    (c) The court, without a jury, shall determine questions of
23law and fact. If it finds that a public hearing may be
24detrimental to the child's best interest, the court may exclude
25the public from a custody hearing, but may admit any person who

 

 

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1has a direct and legitimate interest in the particular case or
2a legitimate educational or research interest in the work of
3the court.
4    (d) If the court finds it necessary, in order to protect
5the child's welfare, that the record of any interview, report,
6investigation, or testimony in a custody proceeding be kept
7secret, the court may make an appropriate order sealing the
8record.
9    (e) Previous statements made by the child relating to any
10allegations that the child is an abused or neglected child
11within the meaning of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting
12Act, or an abused or neglected minor within the meaning of the
13Juvenile Court Act of 1987, shall be admissible in evidence in
14a hearing concerning custody of or visitation with the child.
15No such statement, however, if uncorroborated and not subject
16to cross-examination, shall be sufficient in itself to support
17a finding of abuse or neglect.
18    (f) Custody and visitation proceedings in which a parent is
19a member of the United States Armed Forces who is deployed or
20who has orders to be deployed shall, upon a request of the
21service member, receive expedited priority in being set for
22hearing.
23    (g) In any custody or visitation proceeding in which a
24parent is a member of the United States Armed Forces who is
25deployed or who has orders to be deployed, the court shall,
26upon a request of the service member, permit the deployed

 

 

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1parent who is unavailable to appear for the proceeding to
2testify by telephone, audiovisual means, or other electronic
3means. The court shall cooperate with the deployed parent in
4designating an appropriate location for the testimony.
5(Source: P.A. 87-1081.)
 
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
9to reasonable visitation rights unless the court finds, after a
10hearing, that visitation would endanger seriously the child's
11physical, mental, moral or emotional health. If the custodian's
12street address is not identified, pursuant to Section 708, the
13court shall require the parties to identify reasonable
14alternative arrangements for visitation by a non-custodial
15parent, including but not limited to visitation of the minor
16child at the residence of another person or at a local public
17or private facility.
18        (1) "Visitation" means in-person time spent between a
19    child and the child's parent. In appropriate
20    circumstances, it may include electronic communication
21    under conditions and at times determined by the court.
22        (2) "Electronic communication" means time that a
23    parent spends with his or her child during which the child
24    is not in the parent's actual physical custody, but which
25    is facilitated by the use of communication tools such as

 

 

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1    the telephone, electronic mail, instant messaging, video
2    conferencing or other wired or wireless technologies via
3    the Internet, or another medium of communication.
4    (a-3) Grandparents, great-grandparents, and siblings of a
5minor child, who is one year old or older, have standing to
6bring an action in circuit court by petition, requesting
7visitation in accordance with this Section. The term "sibling"
8in this Section means a brother, sister, stepbrother, or
9stepsister of the minor child. Grandparents,
10great-grandparents, and siblings also have standing to file a
11petition for visitation and any electronic communication
12rights in a pending dissolution proceeding or any other
13proceeding that involves custody or visitation issues,
14requesting visitation in accordance with this Section. A
15petition for visitation with a child by a person other than a
16parent must be filed in the county in which the child resides.
17Nothing in this subsection (a-3) and subsection (a-5) of this
18Section shall apply to a child in whose interests a petition is
19pending under Section 2-13 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 or
20a petition to adopt an unrelated child is pending under the
21Adoption Act.
22    (a-5)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection
23(a-5), any grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling may file
24a petition for visitation rights to a minor child if there is
25an unreasonable denial of visitation by a parent and at least
26one of the following conditions exists:

 

 

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1        (A) (Blank);
2        (A-5) the child's other parent is deceased or has been
3    missing for at least 3 months. For the purposes of this
4    Section a parent is considered to be missing if the
5    parent's location has not been determined and the parent
6    has been reported as missing to a law enforcement agency;
7        (A-10) a parent of the child is incompetent as a matter
8    of law;
9        (A-15) a parent has been incarcerated in jail or prison
10    during the 3 month period preceding the filing of the
11    petition;
12        (B) the child's mother and father are divorced or have
13    been legally separated from each other or there is pending
14    a dissolution proceeding involving a parent of the child or
15    another court proceeding involving custody or visitation
16    of the child (other than any adoption proceeding of an
17    unrelated child) and at least one parent does not object to
18    the grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling having
19    visitation with the child. The visitation of the
20    grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling must not
21    diminish the visitation of the parent who is not related to
22    the grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling seeking
23    visitation;
24        (C) (Blank);
25        (D) the child is born out of wedlock, the parents are
26    not living together, and the petitioner is a maternal

 

 

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1    grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the child
2    born out of wedlock; or
3        (E) the child is born out of wedlock, the parents are
4    not living together, the petitioner is a paternal
5    grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling, and the
6    paternity has been established by a court of competent
7    jurisdiction.
8    (2) Any visitation rights granted pursuant to this Section
9before the filing of a petition for adoption of a child shall
10automatically terminate by operation of law upon the entry of
11an order terminating parental rights or granting the adoption
12of the child, whichever is earlier. If the person or persons
13who adopted the child are related to the child, as defined by
14Section 1 of the Adoption Act, any person who was related to
15the child as grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling prior
16to the adoption shall have standing to bring an action pursuant
17to this Section requesting visitation with the child.
18    (3) In making a determination under this subsection (a-5),
19there is a rebuttable presumption that a fit parent's actions
20and decisions regarding grandparent, great-grandparent, or
21sibling visitation are not harmful to the child's mental,
22physical, or emotional health. The burden is on the party
23filing a petition under this Section to prove that the parent's
24actions and decisions regarding visitation times are harmful to
25the child's mental, physical, or emotional health.
26    (4) In determining whether to grant visitation, the court

 

 

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1shall consider the following:
2        (A) the preference of the child if the child is
3    determined to be of sufficient maturity to express a
4    preference;
5        (B) the mental and physical health of the child;
6        (C) the mental and physical health of the grandparent,
7    great-grandparent, or sibling;
8        (D) the length and quality of the prior relationship
9    between the child and the grandparent, great-grandparent,
10    or sibling;
11        (E) the good faith of the party in filing the petition;
12        (F) the good faith of the person denying visitation;
13        (G) the quantity of the visitation time requested and
14    the potential adverse impact that visitation would have on
15    the child's customary activities;
16        (H) whether the child resided with the petitioner for
17    at least 6 consecutive months with or without the current
18    custodian present;
19        (I) whether the petitioner had frequent or regular
20    contact or visitation with the child for at least 12
21    consecutive months;
22        (J) any other fact that establishes that the loss of
23    the relationship between the petitioner and the child is
24    likely to harm the child's mental, physical, or emotional
25    health; and
26        (K) whether the grandparent, great-grandparent, or

 

 

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1    sibling was a primary caretaker of the child for a period
2    of not less than 6 consecutive months.
3    (5) The court may order visitation rights for the
4grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling that include
5reasonable access without requiring overnight or possessory
6visitation.
7    (a-7)(1) Unless by stipulation of the parties, no motion to
8modify a grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling visitation
9order may be made earlier than 2 years after the date the order
10was filed, unless the court permits it to be made on the basis
11of affidavits that there is reason to believe the child's
12present environment may endanger seriously the child's mental,
13physical, or emotional health.
14    (2) The court shall not modify an order that grants
15visitation to a grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling
16unless it finds by clear and convincing evidence, upon the
17basis of facts that have arisen since the prior visitation
18order or that were unknown to the court at the time of entry of
19the prior visitation, that a change has occurred in the
20circumstances of the child or his or her custodian, and that
21the modification is necessary to protect the mental, physical,
22or emotional health of the child. The court shall state in its
23decision specific findings of fact in support of its
24modification or termination of the grandparent,
25great-grandparent, or sibling visitation. A child's parent may
26always petition to modify visitation upon changed

 

 

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1circumstances when necessary to promote the child's best
2interest.
3    (3) Attorney fees and costs shall be assessed against a
4party seeking modification of the visitation order if the court
5finds that the modification action is vexatious and constitutes
6harassment.
7    (4) Notice under this subsection (a-7) shall be given as
8provided in subsections (c) and (d) of Section 601.
9    (b) (1) (Blank.)
10    (1.5) The Court may grant reasonable visitation privileges
11to a stepparent upon petition to the court by the stepparent,
12with notice to the parties required to be notified under
13Section 601 of this Act, if the court determines that it is in
14the best interests and welfare of the child, and may issue any
15necessary orders to enforce those visitation privileges. A
16petition for visitation privileges may be filed under this
17paragraph (1.5) whether or not a petition pursuant to this Act
18has been previously filed or is currently pending if the
19following circumstances are met:
20        (A) the child is at least 12 years old;
21        (B) the child resided continuously with the parent and
22    stepparent for at least 5 years;
23        (C) the parent is deceased or is disabled and is unable
24    to care for the child;
25        (D) the child wishes to have reasonable visitation with
26    the stepparent; and

 

 

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1        (E) the stepparent was providing for the care, control,
2    and welfare to the child prior to the initiation of the
3    petition for visitation.
4    (2)(A) A petition for visitation privileges shall not be
5filed pursuant to this subsection (b) by the parents or
6grandparents of a putative father if the paternity of the
7putative father has not been legally established.
8    (B) A petition for visitation privileges may not be filed
9under this subsection (b) if the child who is the subject of
10the grandparents' or great-grandparents' petition has been
11voluntarily surrendered by the parent or parents, except for a
12surrender to the Illinois Department of Children and Family
13Services or a foster care facility, or has been previously
14adopted by an individual or individuals who are not related to
15the biological parents of the child or is the subject of a
16pending adoption petition by an individual or individuals who
17are not related to the biological parents of the child.
18    (3) (Blank).
19    (c) The court may modify an order granting or denying
20visitation rights of a parent whenever modification would serve
21the best interest of the child; but the court shall not
22restrict a parent's visitation rights unless it finds that the
23visitation would endanger seriously the child's physical,
24mental, moral or emotional health.
25    (d) If any court has entered an order prohibiting a
26non-custodial parent of a child from any contact with a child

 

 

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1or restricting the non-custodial parent's contact with the
2child, the following provisions shall apply:
3        (1) If an order has been entered granting visitation
4    privileges with the child to a grandparent or
5    great-grandparent who is related to the child through the
6    non-custodial parent, the visitation privileges of the
7    grandparent or great-grandparent may be revoked if:
8            (i) a court has entered an order prohibiting the
9        non-custodial parent from any contact with the child,
10        and the grandparent or great-grandparent is found to
11        have used his or her visitation privileges to
12        facilitate contact between the child and the
13        non-custodial parent; or
14            (ii) a court has entered an order restricting the
15        non-custodial parent's contact with the child, and the
16        grandparent or great-grandparent is found to have used
17        his or her visitation privileges to facilitate contact
18        between the child and the non-custodial parent in a
19        manner that violates the terms of the order restricting
20        the non-custodial parent's contact with the child.
21        Nothing in this subdivision (1) limits the authority of
22    the court to enforce its orders in any manner permitted by
23    law.
24        (2) Any order granting visitation privileges with the
25    child to a grandparent or great-grandparent who is related
26    to the child through the non-custodial parent shall contain

 

 

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

 

 

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1order providing visitation rights and pursuant to a motion to
2modify visitation shall revoke visitation rights previously
3granted to any person who would otherwise be entitled to
4petition for visitation rights under this Section who has been
5convicted of first degree murder of the parent, grandparent,
6great-grandparent, or sibling of the child who is the subject
7of the order. Until an order is entered pursuant to this
8subsection, no person shall visit, with the child present, a
9person who has been convicted of first degree murder of the
10parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the
11child without the consent of the child's parent, other than a
12parent convicted of first degree murder as set forth herein, or
13legal guardian.
14    (g) (Blank).
15    (h) Upon motion, the Court may allow a parent who is
16deployed or who has orders to be deployed as a member of the
17United States Armed Forces to designate a person to exercise
18reasonable, substitute visitation equivalent to the visitation
19that the deployed parent presently has, if the court determines
20that substitute visitation is in the best interests of the
21child.
22(Source: P.A. 96-331, eff. 1-1-10.)
 
23    (750 ILCS 5/610)  (from Ch. 40, par. 610)
24    Sec. 610. Modification.
25    (a) Unless by stipulation of the parties or except as

 

 

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1provided in subsection (a-5), no motion to modify a custody
2judgment may be made earlier than 2 years after its date,
3unless the court permits it to be made on the basis of
4affidavits that there is reason to believe the child's present
5environment may endanger seriously his physical, mental, moral
6or emotional health.
7    (a-5) A motion to modify a custody judgment may be made at
8any time by a party who has been informed of the existence of
9facts requiring notice to be given under Section 609.5.
10    (b) The court shall not modify a prior custody judgment
11unless it finds by clear and convincing evidence, upon the
12basis of facts that have arisen since the prior judgment or
13that were unknown to the court at the time of entry of the
14prior judgment, that a change has occurred in the circumstances
15of the child or his custodian, or in the case of a joint
16custody arrangement that a change has occurred in the
17circumstances of the child or either or both parties having
18custody, and that the modification is necessary to serve the
19best interest of the child. The existence of facts requiring
20notice to be given under Section 609.5 of this Act shall be
21considered a change in circumstance. In the case of joint
22custody, if the parties agree to a termination of a joint
23custody arrangement, the court shall so terminate the joint
24custody and make any modification which is in the child's best
25interest. The court shall state in its decision specific
26findings of fact in support of its modification or termination

 

 

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1of joint custody if either parent opposes the modification or
2termination.
3    (c) Attorney fees and costs shall be assessed against a
4party seeking modification if the court finds that the
5modification action is vexatious and constitutes harassment.
6    (d) Notice under this Section shall be given as provided in
7subsections (c) and (d) of Section 601.
8    (e) The court shall not modify a prior custody judgment
9while a party is unavailable due to the party's deployment as a
10member of the United States Armed Forces. A party's past,
11current, or possible future absence or , relocation, or failure
12to comply with the court's orders on custody, visitation, or
13parenting time may not, by itself, be sufficient to justify a
14modification of a prior order if the reason for the absence,
15relocation, or failure to comply is the party's deployment as a
16member of the United States Armed Forces.
17(Source: P.A. 96-676, eff. 1-1-10.)