House Sponsors: FLOWERS-DAVIS,MONIQUE-HOWARD. Short description: DCFS-CITIZEN REVIEW PANEL Synopsis of Bill as introduced: Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Provides that the Department of Children and Family Services shall establish a pilot Citizen Review Panel in Cook County. Provides that a parent within the pilot area who has participated in and has raised concerns at the Administrative Case Review process which resulted in a goal change from return home to substitute care pending a legal decision may request a review by the Citizen Review Panel. Contains provisions regarding review scheduling, standards, and recommendations and other matters. Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Empowers the court to order that a service plan include specific placements or services. Amends the Adoption Act. Provides that the ground of parental unfitness based on a child having been in foster care for 15 months out of any 22 month period unless the child's parent can prove by a preponderance of the evidence that it is more likely than not that it will be in the best interests of the child to be returned to the parent within 6 months of the date on which a petition for termination of parental rights is filed under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 may not be used as the sole ground for unfitness and that the ground may be used only in conjunction with another ground for unfitness. Effective immediately. FISCAL NOTE (Dept. of Children and Family Services) The increased cost of this legislation is estimated at $2,680,000. There is also a potential loss of up to $300 million in revenues. HOUSE AMENDMENT NO. 1. Eliminates an amendment to the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 that would have empowered the court to order that a service plan include specific placements or services. Adds language providing that the court may recommend to DCFS that specific placements, specific services, or specific service providers be included in the plan, in which case DCFS shall, in its new service plan or its changes to the current service plan, follow the recommendations or indicate why it has not followed the recommendations. Last action on Bill: SESSION SINE DIE Last action date: JAN-07-2003 Location: House Amendments to Bill: AMENDMENTS ADOPTED: HOUSE - 1 SENATE - 0 END OF INQUIRY Full Text Bill Status