State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
Legislation

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90_HB0777

      750 ILCS 5/603            from Ch. 40, par. 603
      750 ILCS 5/607            from Ch. 40, par. 607
          Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of  Marriage
      Act.   Provides  that  the  General  Assembly  finds that the
      Illinois Department of Children and Family  Services  entered
      into   a  consent  decree  in  Bates  v.  Johnson,  case  no.
      85-C-10054 in  the  U.S.  District  Court  for  the  Northern
      District   of   Illinois,   Eastern  Division  in  which  the
      Department agreed that "reasonable  visitation"  includes  at
      least  one  visit  per week for parents whose children are in
      the temporary custody of or under  the  guardianship  of  the
      Department,  absent  documented harm caused to a child by the
      visits, and also finds that visitation should occur at  least
      as  often for parents whose children are not in the temporary
      custody of or  under  the  guardianship  of  the  Department.
      Provides  that  "reasonable  visitation"  means  at least one
      visit per week. Sets forth procedures  for  the  granting  of
      temporary visitation rights in a proceeding under the Act.
                                                    LRB9000872WHdvA
                                              LRB9000872WHdvA
 1        AN  ACT to amend the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of
 2    Marriage Act by changing Sections 603 and 607.
 3        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section  5.   The  Illinois  Marriage  and Dissolution of
 6    Marriage Act is amended by changing Sections 603 and  607  as
 7    follows:
 8        (750 ILCS 5/603) (from Ch. 40, par. 603)
 9        Sec. 603.  Temporary Orders.
10        (a)  A   party  to  a  custody  proceeding,  including  a
11    proceeding to  modify  custody,  may  move  for  a  temporary
12    custody  order.  The  court may award temporary custody under
13    the standards of Section 602 and the standards and procedures
14    of Section 602.1,  after  a  hearing,  or,  if  there  is  no
15    objection, solely on the basis of the affidavits.
16        (b)  If a proceeding for dissolution of marriage or legal
17    separation  or  declaration  of  invalidity  of  marriage  is
18    dismissed,  any  temporary  custody order is vacated unless a
19    parent or the child's custodian  moves  that  the  proceeding
20    continue as a custody proceeding and the court finds, after a
21    hearing,  that  the circumstances of the parents and the best
22    interest of the child requires that  a  custody  judgment  be
23    issued.
24        (c)  If  a custody proceeding commenced in the absence of
25    a petition for dissolution of marriage or  legal  separation,
26    under either subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (1), or paragraph
27    (2),  of  subsection  (d)  of  Section 601, is dismissed, any
28    temporary custody order is vacated.
29        (d)  A party may file a petition for temporary visitation
30    rights if a  petition for dissolution of  marriage  has  been
31    filed   and   no  temporary  order    regarding  custody  and
                            -2-               LRB9000872WHdvA
 1    visitation  has  been  entered.  A  petition  for   temporary
 2    visitation  shall  be heard and decided not later than 5 days
 3    after the date it is  filed,  unless  the  petitioning  party
 4    fails to give the other party at least 48 hours notice of the
 5    hearing.    Unless   the   court  finds,  based  on  evidence
 6    presented  at  the   hearing,    that   granting   reasonable
 7    visitation to the  petitioning party would seriously endanger
 8    the  child's  physical,  mental,  moral, or emotional health,
 9    the court shall grant reasonable  visitation  rights  to  the
10    petitioning party on specific days and times set forth in the
11    order.   This   subsection (d) is intended to provide for the
12    establishment of a visitation schedule as  soon  as  possible
13    after  the  commencement  of  a  proceeding  under  this  Act
14    without  the  injection  of  other  issues  so that a child's
15    relationship with each  parent is not interrupted during  the
16    pendency  of  a  proceeding,  and  the fact  that a party has
17    sought temporary visitation rights under this subsection  (d)
18    shall  not be construed to prejudice the rights of that party
19    at subsequent  hearings in  the  proceeding  on  any  matters
20    pertaining  to  custody  or    visitation.   The petition for
21    temporary visitation may be filed and heard  separately  from
22    a  petition for temporary relief filed under Section 501 or a
23    petition for temporary custody filed under this  Section.  An
24    order  regarding   temporary visitation under this subsection
25    (d) shall  expire  when  a  subsequent  visitation  order  is
26    entered  in the proceeding, when a  final judgment is entered
27    in the proceeding, or when the proceeding is  dismissed.
28    (Source: P.A. 86-530; 87-1255.)
29        (750 ILCS 5/607) (from Ch. 40, par. 607)
30        Sec. 607. Visitation.
31        (a)  The General Assembly finds that a consent decree was
32    entered in Bates v. Johnson, case no. 85-C-10054 in the  U.S.
33    District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern
                            -3-               LRB9000872WHdvA
 1    Division  in  which  the  Illinois Department of Children and
 2    Family  Services  agreed  that  "reasonable  visitation"  for
 3    parents whose children are in the  temporary  custody  of  or
 4    under  the  guardianship of the Department means at least one
 5    visit per week, absent documented harm caused to a  child  by
 6    the  visits.  The General Assembly also finds that reasonable
 7    visitation for  parents  of  children  who  are  not  in  the
 8    temporary  custody  of  or  under  the  guardianship  of  the
 9    Illinois  Department of  Children  and Family Services should
10    occur at least as often as for those parents  whose  children
11    are  in the temporary custody of or under the guardianship of
12    the Department.
13        A parent not granted custody of the child is entitled  to
14    reasonable  visitation rights unless the court finds, after a
15    hearing, that visitation would endanger seriously the child's
16    physical, mental, moral or emotional health. As used in  this
17    Section, "reasonable visitation" means at least one visit per
18    week.   If  the custodian's street address is not identified,
19    pursuant to Section 708, the court shall require the  parties
20    to   identify   reasonable   alternative   arrangements   for
21    visitation  by  a  non-custodial  parent,  including  but not
22    limited to visitation of the minor child at the residence  of
23    another person or at a local public or private facility.
24        (b) (1)  The   court   may  grant  reasonable  visitation
25    privileges to a grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of
26    any  minor  child  upon  petition  to  the   court   by   the
27    grandparents  or  great-grandparents  or  on  behalf  of  the
28    sibling,  with  notice to the parties required to be notified
29    under Section 601 of this Act, if the court  determines  that
30    it is in the best interests and welfare of the child, and may
31    issue   any  necessary  orders  to  enforce  such  visitation
32    privileges.  Except as provided  in  paragraph  (2)  of  this
33    subsection  (b),  a petition for visitation privileges may be
34    filed under this subsection (b) whether  or  not  a  petition
                            -4-               LRB9000872WHdvA
 1    pursuant  to  this  Act  has  been  previously  filed  or  is
 2    currently   pending   if   one   or  more  of  the  following
 3    circumstances exist:
 4             (A)  the parents are not currently cohabiting  on  a
 5        permanent or an indefinite basis;
 6             (B)  one  of  the  parents  has been absent from the
 7        marital abode for more than one month without the  spouse
 8        knowing his or her whereabouts;
 9             (C)  one of the parents is deceased;
10             (D)  one  of  the parents joins in the petition with
11        the grandparents, great-grandparents, or sibling; or
12             (E)  a sibling is in State custody.
13        (2)(A)  A petition for visitation privileges shall not be
14    filed pursuant to this  subsection  (b)  by  the  parents  or
15    grandparents  of  a  putative  father if the paternity of the
16    putative father has not been legally established.
17        (B)  A petition for  visitation  privileges  may  not  be
18    filed  under  this  subsection  (b)  if  the child who is the
19    subject of the grandparents' or great-grandparents'  petition
20    has  been  voluntarily  surrendered by the parent or parents,
21    except for a surrender to the Illinois Department of Children
22    and Family Services or a foster care facility,  or  has  been
23    previously  adopted  by  an individual or individuals who are
24    not related to the biological parents of the child or is  the
25    subject  of  a  pending adoption petition by an individual or
26    individuals who are not related to the biological parents  of
27    the child.
28        (3)  When  one  parent  is deceased, the surviving parent
29    shall  not  interfere  with  the  visitation  rights  of  the
30    grandparents.
31        (c)  The court may modify an order  granting  or  denying
32    visitation  rights whenever modification would serve the best
33    interest of the child; but the court shall   not  restrict  a
34    parent's   visitation   rights   unless  it  finds  that  the
                            -5-               LRB9000872WHdvA
 1    visitation would endanger  seriously  the  child's  physical,
 2    mental, moral or emotional health.
 3        (d)  If  any  court  has  entered  an order prohibiting a
 4    non-custodial parent of a child from any contact with a child
 5    or restricting the non-custodial parent's  contact  with  the
 6    child, the following provisions shall apply:
 7             (1)  If   an   order   has   been  entered  granting
 8        visitation privileges with the child to a grandparent  or
 9        great-grandparent who is related to the child through the
10        non-custodial  parent,  the  visitation privileges of the
11        grandparent or great-grandparent may be revoked if:
12                  (i)  a court has entered an  order  prohibiting
13             the  non-custodial  parent from any contact with the
14             child, and the grandparent or  great-grandparent  is
15             found  to have used his or her visitation privileges
16             to facilitate contact  between  the  child  and  the
17             non-custodial parent; or
18                  (ii)  a  court has entered an order restricting
19             the non-custodial parent's contact with  the  child,
20             and the grandparent or great-grandparent is found to
21             have  used  his  or  her  visitation  privileges  to
22             facilitate   contact   between  the  child  and  the
23             non-custodial parent in a manner that  violates  the
24             terms  of  the  order  restricting the non-custodial
25             parent's contact with the child.
26             Nothing in this subdivision (1) limits the authority
27        of  the  court  to  enforce  its  orders  in  any  manner
28        permitted by law.
29             (2)  Any order granting visitation  privileges  with
30        the  child  to  a grandparent or great-grandparent who is
31        related to the child  through  the  non-custodial  parent
32        shall contain the following provision:
33             "If the (grandparent or great-grandparent, whichever
34        is applicable) who has been granted visitation privileges
                            -6-               LRB9000872WHdvA
 1        under  this  order  uses  the  visitation  privileges  to
 2        facilitate  contact  between  the  child  and the child's
 3        non-custodial parent, the visitation  privileges  granted
 4        under this order shall be permanently revoked."
 5        (e)  No  parent,  not  granted  custody  of the child, or
 6    grandparent, or great-grandparent, or sibling  of  any  minor
 7    child,  convicted of any offense involving an illegal sex act
 8    perpetrated upon a victim less than 18 years of age including
 9    but not limited to offenses for violations of Article  12  of
10    the  Criminal  Code of 1961, is entitled to visitation rights
11    while incarcerated or while on parole or mandatory supervised
12    release  for  that   offense,   and   upon   discharge   from
13    incarceration  for  a  misdemeanor  offense or upon discharge
14    from parole or mandatory  supervised  release  for  a  felony
15    offense,   visitation  shall  be  denied  until  said  person
16    successfully completes a treatment program  approved  by  the
17    court.
18    (Source:  P.A.  88-23;  88-267; 88-670, eff. 12-2-94; 89-488,
19    eff. 6-21-96.)

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