State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Introduced ][ Enrolled ][ House Amendment 001 ]
[ Senate Amendment 001 ]


92_SB1305eng

 
SB1305 Engrossed                               LRB9202843RCcd

 1        AN ACT in relation to minors.

 2        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section  5.  The Adoption  Act  is  amended  by  changing
 5    Section 1 as follows:

 6        (750 ILCS 50/1) (from Ch. 40, par. 1501)
 7        Sec.  1.  Definitions.  When used in this Act, unless the
 8    context otherwise requires:
 9        A.  "Child" means a person under  legal  age  subject  to
10    adoption under this Act.
11        B.  "Related  child"  means  a  child subject to adoption
12    where either or both of the adopting parents stands in any of
13    the  following  relationships  to  the  child  by  blood   or
14    marriage: parent, grand-parent, brother, sister, step-parent,
15    step-grandparent,  step-brother,  step-sister,  uncle,  aunt,
16    great-uncle,  great-aunt, or cousin of first degree.  A child
17    whose parent has executed  a  final  irrevocable  consent  to
18    adoption  or  a  final  irrevocable surrender for purposes of
19    adoption, or whose parent has had his or her parental  rights
20    terminated, is not a related child to that person, unless the
21    consent  is  determined  to  be  void  or is void pursuant to
22    subsection O of Section 10.
23        C.  "Agency" for the purpose of this Act means  a  public
24    child welfare agency or a licensed child welfare agency.
25        D.  "Unfit  person" means any person whom the court shall
26    find to be unfit to have  a  child,  without  regard  to  the
27    likelihood  that  the child will be placed for adoption.  The
28    grounds of unfitness are any one or more of the following:
29             (a)  Abandonment of the child.
30             (a-1)  Abandonment  of  a  newborn   infant   in   a
31        hospital.
 
SB1305 Engrossed            -2-                LRB9202843RCcd
 1             (a-2)  Abandonment   of  a  newborn  infant  in  any
 2        setting where  the  evidence  suggests  that  the  parent
 3        intended to relinquish his or her parental rights.
 4             (b)  Failure  to  maintain  a  reasonable  degree of
 5        interest, concern or responsibility  as  to  the  child's
 6        welfare.
 7             (c)  Desertion  of  the child for more than 3 months
 8        next  preceding  the   commencement   of   the   Adoption
 9        proceeding.
10             (d)  Substantial  neglect of the child if continuous
11        or repeated.
12             (d-1)  Substantial   neglect,   if   continuous   or
13        repeated, of any child residing in  the  household  which
14        resulted in the death of that child.
15             (e)  Extreme or repeated cruelty to the child.
16             (f)  Two  or  more findings of physical abuse to any
17        children under Section 4-8 of the Juvenile Court  Act  or
18        Section  2-21 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, the most
19        recent of which was  determined  by  the  juvenile  court
20        hearing   the   matter  to  be  supported  by  clear  and
21        convincing evidence; a criminal conviction or  a  finding
22        of  not  guilty  by reason of insanity resulting from the
23        death of any child by physical child abuse; or a  finding
24        of  physical  child abuse resulting from the death of any
25        child under Section 4-8 of  the  Juvenile  Court  Act  or
26        Section 2-21 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987.
27             (g)  Failure  to  protect  the child from conditions
28        within his environment injurious to the child's welfare.
29             (h)  Other neglect  of,  or  misconduct  toward  the
30        child; provided that in making a finding of unfitness the
31        court  hearing the adoption proceeding shall not be bound
32        by any previous finding, order or judgment  affecting  or
33        determining  the  rights  of the parents toward the child
34        sought to be adopted in any other proceeding except  such
 
SB1305 Engrossed            -3-                LRB9202843RCcd
 1        proceedings  terminating  parental rights as shall be had
 2        under either this Act, the  Juvenile  Court  Act  or  the
 3        Juvenile Court Act of 1987.
 4             (i)  Depravity.    Conviction  of  any  one  of  the
 5        following crimes shall create a presumption that a parent
 6        is depraved which can  be  overcome  only  by  clear  and
 7        convincing evidence: (1) first degree murder in violation
 8        of  paragraph  1 or 2 of subsection (a) of Section 9-1 of
 9        the Criminal Code of 1961 or conviction of second  degree
10        murder  in  violation of subsection (a) of Section 9-2 of
11        the Criminal Code of 1961 of a parent of the child to  be
12        adopted;  (2) first degree murder or second degree murder
13        of any child in violation of the Criminal Code  of  1961;
14        (3)  attempt  or conspiracy to commit first degree murder
15        or second degree murder of any child in violation of  the
16        Criminal  Code of 1961; (4) solicitation to commit murder
17        of any child, solicitation to commit murder of any  child
18        for  hire, or solicitation to commit second degree murder
19        of any child in violation of the Criminal Code  of  1961;
20        or (5) aggravated criminal sexual assault in violation of
21        Section 12-14(b)(1) of the Criminal Code of 1961.
22             There  is  a rebuttable presumption that a parent is
23        depraved if the parent has been criminally  convicted  of
24        at  least  3 felonies under the laws of this State or any
25        other state, or under federal law, or the  criminal  laws
26        of any United States territory; and at least one of these
27        convictions  took  place  within 5 years of the filing of
28        the petition or motion seeking  termination  of  parental
29        rights.
30             There  is  a rebuttable presumption that a parent is
31        depraved if that parent has been criminally convicted  of
32        either  first  or  second  degree murder of any person as
33        defined in the Criminal Code of 1961 within 10  years  of
34        the  filing  date  of the petition or motion to terminate
 
SB1305 Engrossed            -4-                LRB9202843RCcd
 1        parental rights.
 2             (j)  Open and notorious adultery or fornication.
 3             (j-1)  (Blank).
 4             (k)  Habitual drunkenness  or  addiction  to  drugs,
 5        other  than those prescribed by a physician, for at least
 6        one year immediately prior to  the  commencement  of  the
 7        unfitness proceeding.
 8             There  is  a rebuttable presumption that a parent is
 9        unfit under this subsection with respect to any child  to
10        which  that parent gives birth where there is a confirmed
11        test result that at birth the child's  blood,  urine,  or
12        meconium  contained  any amount of a controlled substance
13        as defined in  subsection  (f)  of  Section  102  of  the
14        Illinois Controlled Substances Act or metabolites of such
15        substances,  the  presence of which in the newborn infant
16        was not the result of medical treatment  administered  to
17        the  mother  or  the  newborn  infant; and the biological
18        mother of this child is the biological mother of at least
19        one other child who was  adjudicated  a  neglected  minor
20        under subsection (c) of Section 2-3 of the Juvenile Court
21        Act of 1987.
22             (l)  Failure  to  demonstrate a reasonable degree of
23        interest, concern or responsibility as to the welfare  of
24        a  new  born  child  during  the  first 30 days after its
25        birth.
26             (m)  Failure by a  parent  (i)  to  make  reasonable
27        efforts to correct the conditions that were the basis for
28        the removal of the child from the parent, or (ii) to make
29        reasonable progress toward the return of the child to the
30        parent within 9 months after an adjudication of neglected
31        or  abused  minor under Section 2-3 of the Juvenile Court
32        Act of 1987 or dependent minor under Section 2-4 of  that
33        Act,  or  (iii)  to  make  reasonable progress toward the
34        return of the child to  the  parent  during  any  9-month
 
SB1305 Engrossed            -5-                LRB9202843RCcd
 1        period  after  the  end  of  the  initial  9-month period
 2        following the adjudication of neglected or  abused  minor
 3        under  Section  2-3  of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 or
 4        dependent minor under Section  2-4  of  that  Act.  If  a
 5        service  plan  has  been  established  as  required under
 6        Section 8.2 of the Abused and Neglected  Child  Reporting
 7        Act to correct the conditions that were the basis for the
 8        removal  of  the  child  from  the  parent  and  if those
 9        services were available, then, for purposes of this  Act,
10        "failure to make reasonable progress toward the return of
11        the  child  to  the  parent"  includes  (I)  the parent's
12        failure to substantially fulfill his or  her  obligations
13        under  the  service  plan and correct the conditions that
14        brought the child into care within  9  months  after  the
15        adjudication  under  Section  2-3  or 2-4 of the Juvenile
16        Court Act of  1987  and  (II)  the  parent's  failure  to
17        substantially  fulfill  his  or her obligations under the
18        service plan and correct the conditions that brought  the
19        child  into  care during any 9-month period after the end
20        of the initial 9-month period following the  adjudication
21        under  Section  2-3  or  2-4 of the Juvenile Court Act of
22        1987.
23             (m-1)  Pursuant to the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, a
24        child has been in foster care for 15 months out of any 22
25        month period which begins on or after the effective  date
26        of  this amendatory Act of 1998 unless the child's parent
27        can prove by a preponderance of the evidence that  it  is
28        more  likely  than  not  that  it  will  be  in  the best
29        interests of the child  to  be  returned  to  the  parent
30        within  6  months  of  the  date  on which a petition for
31        termination  of  parental  rights  is  filed  under   the
32        Juvenile  Court  Act of 1987.  The 15 month time limit is
33        tolled during any period  for  which  there  is  a  court
34        finding  that  the appointed custodian or guardian failed
 
SB1305 Engrossed            -6-                LRB9202843RCcd
 1        to make reasonable efforts to reunify the child with  his
 2        or  her  family,  provided  that  (i)  the  finding of no
 3        reasonable efforts is made within 60 days of  the  period
 4        when  reasonable efforts were not made or (ii) the parent
 5        filed a motion requesting  a  finding  of  no  reasonable
 6        efforts  within  60  days  of  the period when reasonable
 7        efforts were not made.  For purposes of this  subdivision
 8        (m-1),  the  date  of entering foster care is the earlier
 9        of: (i) the date of a judicial finding at an adjudicatory
10        hearing that  the  child  is  an  abused,  neglected,  or
11        dependent  minor; or (ii) 60 days after the date on which
12        the child is removed from his or her parent, guardian, or
13        legal custodian.
14             (n)  Evidence of intent to forgo his or her parental
15        rights, whether or not the child is a ward of the  court,
16        (1)  as  manifested by his or her failure for a period of
17        12 months: (i) to visit the child,  (ii)  to  communicate
18        with  the child or agency, although able to do so and not
19        prevented from doing so by an agency or by  court  order,
20        or  (iii) to maintain contact with or plan for the future
21        of the child, although physically able to do so,  or  (2)
22        as  manifested  by the father's failure, where he and the
23        mother of the child were unmarried to each other  at  the
24        time   of  the  child's  birth,  (i)  to  commence  legal
25        proceedings to establish his paternity under the Illinois
26        Parentage Act of 1984 or the law of the  jurisdiction  of
27        the  child's  birth  within  30  days  of being informed,
28        pursuant to Section 12a of  this  Act,  that  he  is  the
29        father  or the likely father of the child or, after being
30        so informed where the child is not yet  born,  within  30
31        days  of  the child's birth, or (ii) to make a good faith
32        effort to pay a reasonable amount of the expenses related
33        to the birth of the child and  to  provide  a  reasonable
34        amount  for the financial support of the child, the court
 
SB1305 Engrossed            -7-                LRB9202843RCcd
 1        to   consider   in   its   determination   all   relevant
 2        circumstances, including the financial condition of  both
 3        parents;   provided   that  the  ground  for  termination
 4        provided in this subparagraph (n)(2)(ii)  shall  only  be
 5        available  where the petition is brought by the mother or
 6        the husband of the mother.
 7             Contact or communication by a parent with his or her
 8        child that does not  demonstrate  affection  and  concern
 9        does not constitute reasonable contact and planning under
10        subdivision  (n).   In  the  absence  of  evidence to the
11        contrary, the ability  to  visit,  communicate,  maintain
12        contact,  pay  expenses  and plan for the future shall be
13        presumed.  The subjective intent of the  parent,  whether
14        expressed  or  otherwise,  unsupported by evidence of the
15        foregoing parental acts manifesting  that  intent,  shall
16        not preclude a determination that the parent has intended
17        to  forgo  his  or  her  parental rights.  In making this
18        determination, the  court  may  consider  but  shall  not
19        require  a  showing  of diligent efforts by an authorized
20        agency to  encourage  the  parent  to  perform  the  acts
21        specified in subdivision (n).
22             It shall be an affirmative defense to any allegation
23        under  paragraph (2) of this subsection that the father's
24        failure was due to circumstances beyond his control or to
25        impediments created by the mother  or  any  other  person
26        having legal custody.  Proof of that fact need only be by
27        a preponderance of the evidence.
28             (o)  Repeated  or continuous failure by the parents,
29        although physically and financially able, to provide  the
30        child with adequate food, clothing, or shelter.
31             (p)  Inability       to      discharge      parental
32        responsibilities supported by competent evidence  from  a
33        psychiatrist,   licensed   clinical   social  worker,  or
34        clinical  psychologist  of  mental   impairment,   mental
 
SB1305 Engrossed            -8-                LRB9202843RCcd
 1        illness or mental retardation as defined in Section 1-116
 2        of the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code,
 3        or  developmental  disability as defined in Section 1-106
 4        of that Code, and there is  sufficient  justification  to
 5        believe   that   the   inability  to  discharge  parental
 6        responsibilities shall extend beyond  a  reasonable  time
 7        period.   However,  this  subdivision  (p)  shall  not be
 8        construed so as to  permit  a  licensed  clinical  social
 9        worker  to  conduct  any  medical  diagnosis to determine
10        mental illness or mental impairment.
11             (q)  The parent has  been  criminally  convicted  of
12        aggravated  battery, heinous battery, or attempted murder
13        of any child.
14             (r)  The  child  is  in  the  temporary  custody  or
15        guardianship of the Department  of  Children  and  Family
16        Services,  the  parent  is  incarcerated  as  a result of
17        criminal conviction at the time the  petition  or  motion
18        for  termination  of  parental  rights is filed, prior to
19        incarceration the parent had little or  no  contact  with
20        the child or provided little or no support for the child,
21        and  the  parent's  incarceration will prevent the parent
22        from discharging his or her parental responsibilities for
23        the child for a period in excess of  2  years  after  the
24        filing  of  the  petition  or  motion  for termination of
25        parental rights.
26             (s)  The  child  is  in  the  temporary  custody  or
27        guardianship of the Department  of  Children  and  Family
28        Services,  the  parent  is  incarcerated  at the time the
29        petition or motion for termination of parental rights  is
30        filed,  the  parent has been repeatedly incarcerated as a
31        result of criminal convictions, and the parent's repeated
32        incarceration has prevented the parent  from  discharging
33        his or her parental responsibilities for the child.
34             (t)  A  finding  that  at  birth  the child's blood,
 
SB1305 Engrossed            -9-                LRB9202843RCcd
 1        urine, or meconium contained any amount of  a  controlled
 2        substance  as defined in subsection (f) of Section 102 of
 3        the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, or  a  metabolite
 4        of   a   controlled  substance,  with  the  exception  of
 5        controlled substances or metabolites of such  substances,
 6        the  presence  of  which  in  the  newborn infant was the
 7        result of medical treatment administered to the mother or
 8        the newborn infant, and that  the  biological  mother  of
 9        this child is the biological mother of at least one other
10        child   who  was  adjudicated  a  neglected  minor  under
11        subsection (c) of Section 2-3 of the Juvenile  Court  Act
12        of  1987,  after  which  the  biological  mother  had the
13        opportunity to enroll in and participate in a  clinically
14        appropriate  substance  abuse  counseling, treatment, and
15        rehabilitation program.
16        E.  "Parent" means the father or mother of  a  legitimate
17    or illegitimate child.  For the purpose of this Act, a person
18    who  has executed a final and irrevocable consent to adoption
19    or  a  final  and  irrevocable  surrender  for  purposes   of
20    adoption,  or whose parental rights have been terminated by a
21    court, is not a parent of the child who was  the  subject  of
22    the consent or surrender, unless the consent is void pursuant
23    to subsection O of Section 10.
24        F.  A  person  is  available for adoption when the person
25    is:
26             (a)  a child who has been surrendered  for  adoption
27        to  an  agency  and  to  whose  adoption  the  agency has
28        thereafter consented;
29             (b)  a child to whose adoption a  person  authorized
30        by  law,  other  than  his  parents, has consented, or to
31        whose adoption no consent is required pursuant to Section
32        8 of this Act;
33             (c)  a child who is in the custody  of  persons  who
34        intend  to  adopt  him  through  placement  made  by  his
 
SB1305 Engrossed            -10-               LRB9202843RCcd
 1        parents;
 2             (c-1)  a  child  for  whom  a  parent  has  signed a
 3        specific consent pursuant to subsection O of Section  10;
 4        or
 5             (d)  an  adult who meets the conditions set forth in
 6        Section 3 of this Act.
 7        A person who would otherwise be  available  for  adoption
 8    shall not be deemed unavailable for adoption solely by reason
 9    of his or her death.
10        G.  The  singular  includes  the  plural  and  the plural
11    includes the singular and the "male" includes  the  "female",
12    as the context of this Act may require.
13        H.  "Adoption   disruption"   occurs   when  an  adoptive
14    placement does not prove successful and it becomes  necessary
15    for  the  child  to  be  removed  from  placement  before the
16    adoption is finalized.
17        I.  "Foreign placing agency" is an agency  or  individual
18    operating in a country or territory outside the United States
19    that  is  authorized  by  its  country  to place children for
20    adoption either directly with families in the  United  States
21    or through United States based international agencies.
22        J.  "Immediate  relatives"  means the biological parents,
23    the parents of the biological parents  and  siblings  of  the
24    biological parents.
25        K.  "Intercountry adoption" is a process by which a child
26    from a country other than the United States is adopted.
27        L.  "Intercountry Adoption Coordinator" is a staff person
28    of  the  Department of Children and Family Services appointed
29    by the Director to coordinate the provision  of  services  by
30    the  public  and  private  sector  to  prospective parents of
31    foreign-born children.
32        M.  "Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children"  is
33    a  law enacted by most states for the purpose of establishing
34    uniform procedures for handling the interstate  placement  of
 
SB1305 Engrossed            -11-               LRB9202843RCcd
 1    children in foster homes, adoptive homes, or other child care
 2    facilities.
 3        N.  "Non-Compact  state"  means  a  state  that  has  not
 4    enacted the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children.
 5        O.  "Preadoption   requirements"   are   any   conditions
 6    established  by  the  laws  or  regulations  of  the  Federal
 7    Government  or  of  each  state that must be met prior to the
 8    placement of a child in an adoptive home.
 9        P.  "Abused  child"  means  a  child  whose   parent   or
10    immediate  family  member,  or any person responsible for the
11    child's welfare,  or any individual residing in the same home
12    as the child, or a paramour of the child's parent:
13             (a)  inflicts, causes to be inflicted, or allows  to
14        be  inflicted  upon  the  child physical injury, by other
15        than accidental means, that causes death,  disfigurement,
16        impairment  of  physical  or emotional health, or loss or
17        impairment of any bodily function;
18             (b)  creates a substantial risk of  physical  injury
19        to  the  child by other than accidental means which would
20        be likely to cause death,  disfigurement,  impairment  of
21        physical  or  emotional  health, or loss or impairment of
22        any bodily function;
23             (c)  commits or  allows  to  be  committed  any  sex
24        offense against the child, as sex offenses are defined in
25        the Criminal Code of 1961 and extending those definitions
26        of  sex  offenses  to  include children under 18 years of
27        age;
28             (d)  commits or allows to be  committed  an  act  or
29        acts of torture upon the child; or
30             (e)  inflicts excessive corporal punishment.
31        Q.  "Neglected  child"  means  any  child whose parent or
32    other person responsible for the child's welfare withholds or
33    denies nourishment or medically indicated treatment including
34    food or care denied solely on the basis  of  the  present  or
 
SB1305 Engrossed            -12-               LRB9202843RCcd
 1    anticipated  mental or physical impairment as determined by a
 2    physician  acting  alone  or  in  consultation   with   other
 3    physicians  or  otherwise  does  not  provide  the  proper or
 4    necessary support, education as required by law,  or  medical
 5    or   other  remedial  care  recognized  under  State  law  as
 6    necessary for a child's well-being, or other  care  necessary
 7    for  his or her well-being, including adequate food, clothing
 8    and shelter; or who is abandoned by his  or  her  parents  or
 9    other person responsible for the child's welfare.
10        A  child  shall not be considered neglected or abused for
11    the sole reason that  the  child's  parent  or  other  person
12    responsible  for  his  or  her welfare depends upon spiritual
13    means through prayer alone  for  the  treatment  or  cure  of
14    disease  or  remedial care as provided under Section 4 of the
15    Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. A child  shall  not
16    be  considered  neglected  or abused for the sole reason that
17    the child's  parent  or  other  person  responsible  for  the
18    child's  welfare failed to vaccinate, delayed vaccination, or
19    refused vaccination for the child whether due to a waiver  on
20    religious  or  medical  grounds  as  permitted  by the law or
21    otherwise.
22        R.  "Putative father" means a man who may  be  a  child's
23    father,  but  who (1) is not married to the child's mother on
24    or before the date that the child was or is to  be  born  and
25    (2)  has  not  established  paternity of the child in a court
26    proceeding before the filing of a petition for  the  adoption
27    of  the  child.  The term includes a male who is less than 18
28    years of age.  "Putative father" does not mean a man  who  is
29    the  child's  father  as a result of criminal sexual abuse or
30    assault as defined under Article 12 of the Criminal  Code  of
31    1961.
32        S.  "Standby  adoption"  means  an  adoption  in  which a
33    terminally ill parent consents to custody and termination  of
34    parental  rights to become effective upon the occurrence of a
 
SB1305 Engrossed            -13-               LRB9202843RCcd
 1    future event, which is either the death of the terminally ill
 2    parent or the request of the parent for the entry of a  final
 3    judgment of adoption.
 4        T.  "Terminally  ill  parent"  means  a  person who has a
 5    medical  prognosis  by  a  physician  licensed  to   practice
 6    medicine  in  all  of  its  branches  that  the person has an
 7    incurable and  irreversible  condition  which  will  lead  to
 8    death.
 9    (Source: P.A.  90-13,  eff.  6-13-97;  90-15,  eff.  6-13-97;
10    90-27, eff. 1-1-98 except subdiv. (D)(m) eff. 6-25-97; 90-28,
11    eff.  1-1-98 except subdiv. (D)(m) eff. 6-25-97; 90-443, eff.
12    8-16-97; 90-608, eff. 6-30-98; 90-655, eff. 7-30-98;  91-357,
13    eff.  7-29-99;  91-373,  eff.  1-1-00;  91-572,  eff. 1-1-00;
14    revised 8-31-99.)

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