Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of Public Act 094-0923
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Public Act 094-0923


 

Public Act 0923 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY



 


 
Public Act 094-0923
 
HB4383 Enrolled LRB094 13813 LCT 48977 b

    AN ACT concerning families.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of
Marriage Act is amended by changing Section 505.2 as follows:
 
    (750 ILCS 5/505.2)  (from Ch. 40, par. 505.2)
    Sec. 505.2. Health insurance.
    (a) Definitions. As used in this Section:
        (1) "Obligee" means the individual to whom the duty of
    support is owed or the individual's legal representative.
        (2) "Obligor" means the individual who owes a duty of
    support pursuant to an order for support.
        (3) "Public office" means any elected official or any
    State or local agency which is or may become responsible by
    law for enforcement of, or which is or may become
    authorized to enforce, an order for support, including, but
    not limited to: the Attorney General, the Illinois
    Department of Public Aid, the Illinois Department of Human
    Services, the Illinois Department of Children and Family
    Services, and the various State's Attorneys, Clerks of the
    Circuit Court and supervisors of general assistance.
        (4) "Child" shall have the meaning ascribed to it in
    Section 505.
    (b) Order.
        (1) Whenever the court establishes, modifies or
    enforces an order for child support or for child support
    and maintenance the court shall include in the order a
    provision for the health care coverage of the child which
    shall, upon request of the obligee or Public Office,
    require that any child covered by the order be named as a
    beneficiary of any health insurance plan that is available
    to the obligor through an employer or labor union or trade
    union. If the court finds that such a plan is not available
    to the obligor, or that the plan is not accessible to the
    obligee, the court may, upon request of the obligee or
    Public Office, order the obligor to name the child covered
    by the order as a beneficiary of any health insurance plan
    that is available to the obligor on a group basis, or as a
    beneficiary of an independent health insurance plan to be
    obtained by the obligor, after considering the following
    factors:
            (A) the medical needs of the child;
            (B) the availability of a plan to meet those needs;
        and
            (C) the cost of such a plan to the obligor.
        (2) If the employer or labor union or trade union
    offers more than one plan, the order shall require the
    obligor to name the child as a beneficiary of the plan in
    which the obligor is enrolled.
        (3) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to limit
    the authority of the court to establish or modify a support
    order to provide for payment of expenses, including
    deductibles, copayments and any other health expenses,
    which are in addition to expenses covered by an insurance
    plan of which a child is ordered to be named a beneficiary
    pursuant to this Section.
    (c) Implementation and enforcement.
        (1) When the court order requires that a minor child be
    named as a beneficiary of a health insurance plan, other
    than a health insurance plan available through an employer
    or labor union or trade union, the obligor shall provide
    written proof to the obligee or Public Office that the
    required insurance has been obtained, or that application
    for insurability has been made, within 30 days of receiving
    notice of the court order. Unless the obligor was present
    in court when the order was issued, notice of the order
    shall be given pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rules. If
    an obligor fails to provide the required proof, he may be
    held in contempt of court.
        (2) When the court requires that a child be named as a
    beneficiary of a health insurance plan available through an
    employer or labor union or trade union, the court's order
    shall be implemented in accordance with the Income
    Withholding for Support Act.
        (2.5) The court shall order the obligor to reimburse
    the obligee for 50% of the premium for placing the child on
    his or her health insurance policy if:
            (i) a health insurance plan is not available to the
        obligor through an employer or labor union or trade
        union and the court does not order the obligor to cover
        the child as a beneficiary of any health insurance plan
        that is available to the obligor on a group basis or as
        a beneficiary of an independent health insurance plan
        to be obtained by the obligor; or
            (ii) the obligor does not obtain medical insurance
        for the child within 90 days of the date of the court
        order requiring the obligor to obtain insurance for the
        child.
        The provisions of subparagraph (i) of paragraph 2.5 of
    subsection (c) shall be applied, unless the court makes a
    finding that to apply those provisions would be
    inappropriate after considering all of the factors listed
    in paragraph 2 of subsection (a) of Section 505.
        The court may order the obligor to reimburse the
    obligee for 100% of the premium for placing the child on
    his or her health insurance policy.
    (d) Failure to maintain insurance. The dollar amount of the
premiums for court-ordered health insurance, or that portion of
the premiums for which the obligor is responsible in the case
of insurance provided under a group health insurance plan
through an employer or labor union or trade union where the
employer or labor union or trade union pays a portion of the
premiums, shall be considered an additional child support
obligation owed by the obligor. Whenever the obligor fails to
provide or maintain health insurance pursuant to an order for
support, the obligor shall be liable to the obligee for the
dollar amount of the premiums which were not paid, and shall
also be liable for all medical expenses incurred by the child
which would have been paid or reimbursed by the health
insurance which the obligor was ordered to provide or maintain.
In addition, the obligee may petition the court to modify the
order based solely on the obligor's failure to pay the premiums
for court-ordered health insurance.
    (e) Authorization for payment. The signature of the obligee
is a valid authorization to the insurer to process a claim for
payment under the insurance plan to the provider of the health
care services or to the obligee.
    (f) Disclosure of information. The obligor's employer or
labor union or trade union shall disclose to the obligee or
Public Office, upon request, information concerning any
dependent coverage plans which would be made available to a new
employee or labor union member or trade union member. The
employer or labor union or trade union shall disclose such
information whether or not a court order for medical support
has been entered.
    (g) Employer obligations. If a parent is required by an
order for support to provide coverage for a child's health care
expenses and if that coverage is available to the parent
through an employer who does business in this State, the
employer must do all of the following upon receipt of a copy of
the order of support or order for withholding:
        (1) The employer shall, upon the parent's request,
    permit the parent to include in that coverage a child who
    is otherwise eligible for that coverage, without regard to
    any enrollment season restrictions that might otherwise be
    applicable as to the time period within which the child may
    be added to that coverage.
        (2) If the parent has health care coverage through the
    employer but fails to apply for coverage of the child, the
    employer shall include the child in the parent's coverage
    upon application by the child's other parent or the
    Illinois Department of Public Aid.
        (3) The employer may not eliminate any child from the
    parent's health care coverage unless the employee is no
    longer employed by the employer and no longer covered under
    the employer's group health plan or unless the employer is
    provided with satisfactory written evidence of either of
    the following:
            (A) The order for support is no longer in effect.
            (B) The child is or will be included in a
        comparable health care plan obtained by the parent
        under such order that is currently in effect or will
        take effect no later than the date the prior coverage
        is terminated.
        The employer may eliminate a child from a parent's
    health care plan obtained by the parent under such order if
    the employer has eliminated dependent health care coverage
    for all of its employees.
(Source: P.A. 92-16, eff. 6-28-01; 92-876, eff. 6-1-03.)
 
    Section 10. The Illinois Parentage Act of 1984 is amended
by changing Section 14 as follows:
 
    (750 ILCS 45/14)  (from Ch. 40, par. 2514)
    Sec. 14. Judgment.
    (a) (1) The judgment shall contain or explicitly reserve
provisions concerning any duty and amount of child support and
may contain provisions concerning the custody and guardianship
of the child, visitation privileges with the child, the
furnishing of bond or other security for the payment of the
judgment, which the court shall determine in accordance with
the relevant factors set forth in the Illinois Marriage and
Dissolution of Marriage Act and any other applicable law of
Illinois, to guide the court in a finding in the best interests
of the child. In determining custody, joint custody, removal,
or visitation, the court shall apply the relevant standards of
the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act,
including Section 609. Specifically, in determining the amount
of any child support award or child health insurance coverage,
the court shall use the guidelines and standards set forth in
subsection (a) of Section 505 and in Section 505.2 of the
Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. For purposes
of Section 505 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of
Marriage Act, "net income" of the non-custodial parent shall
include any benefits available to that person under the
Illinois Public Aid Code or from other federal, State or local
government-funded programs. The court shall, in any event and
regardless of the amount of the non-custodial parent's net
income, in its judgment order the non-custodial parent to pay
child support to the custodial parent in a minimum amount of
not less than $10 per month. In an action brought within 2
years after a child's birth, the judgment or order may direct
either parent to pay the reasonable expenses incurred by either
parent related to the mother's pregnancy and the delivery of
the child. The judgment or order shall contain the father's
social security number, which the father shall disclose to the
court; however, failure to include the father's social security
number on the judgment or order does not invalidate the
judgment or order.
    (2) If a judgment of parentage contains no explicit award
of custody, the establishment of a support obligation or of
visitation rights in one parent shall be considered a judgment
granting custody to the other parent. If the parentage judgment
contains no such provisions, custody shall be presumed to be
with the mother; however, the presumption shall not apply if
the father has had physical custody for at least 6 months prior
to the date that the mother seeks to enforce custodial rights.
    (b) The court shall order all child support payments,
determined in accordance with such guidelines, to commence with
the date summons is served. The level of current periodic
support payments shall not be reduced because of payments set
for the period prior to the date of entry of the support order.
The Court may order any child support payments to be made for a
period prior to the commencement of the action. In determining
whether and the extent to which the payments shall be made for
any prior period, the court shall consider all relevant facts,
including the factors for determining the amount of support
specified in the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage
Act and other equitable factors including but not limited to:
        (1) The father's prior knowledge of the fact and
    circumstances of the child's birth.
        (2) The father's prior willingness or refusal to help
    raise or support the child.
        (3) The extent to which the mother or the public agency
    bringing the action previously informed the father of the
    child's needs or attempted to seek or require his help in
    raising or supporting the child.
        (4) The reasons the mother or the public agency did not
    file the action earlier.
        (5) The extent to which the father would be prejudiced
    by the delay in bringing the action.
    For purposes of determining the amount of child support to
be paid for any period before the date the order for current
child support is entered, there is a rebuttable presumption
that the father's net income for the prior period was the same
as his net income at the time the order for current child
support is entered.
    If (i) the non-custodial parent was properly served with a
request for discovery of financial information relating to the
non-custodial parent's ability to provide child support, (ii)
the non-custodial parent failed to comply with the request,
despite having been ordered to do so by the court, and (iii)
the non-custodial parent is not present at the hearing to
determine support despite having received proper notice, then
any relevant financial information concerning the
non-custodial parent's ability to provide child support that
was obtained pursuant to subpoena and proper notice shall be
admitted into evidence without the need to establish any
further foundation for its admission.
    (c) Any new or existing support order entered by the court
under this Section shall be deemed to be a series of judgments
against the person obligated to pay support thereunder, each
judgment to be in the amount of each payment or installment of
support and each such judgment to be deemed entered as of the
date the corresponding payment or installment becomes due under
the terms of the support order. Each judgment shall have the
full force, effect and attributes of any other judgment of this
State, including the ability to be enforced. A lien arises by
operation of law against the real and personal property of the
noncustodial parent for each installment of overdue support
owed by the noncustodial parent.
    (d) If the judgment or order of the court is at variance
with the child's birth certificate, the court shall order that
a new birth certificate be issued under the Vital Records Act.
    (e) On request of the mother and the father, the court
shall order a change in the child's name. After hearing
evidence the court may stay payment of support during the
period of the father's minority or period of disability.
    (f) If, upon a showing of proper service, the father fails
to appear in court, or otherwise appear as provided by law, the
court may proceed to hear the cause upon testimony of the
mother or other parties taken in open court and shall enter a
judgment by default. The court may reserve any order as to the
amount of child support until the father has received notice,
by regular mail, of a hearing on the matter.
    (g) A one-time charge of 20% is imposable upon the amount
of past-due child support owed on July 1, 1988 which has
accrued under a support order entered by the court. The charge
shall be imposed in accordance with the provisions of Section
10-21 of the Illinois Public Aid Code and shall be enforced by
the court upon petition.
    (h) All orders for support, when entered or modified, shall
include a provision requiring the non-custodial parent to
notify the court and, in cases in which party is receiving
child support enforcement services under Article X of the
Illinois Public Aid Code, the Illinois Department of Public
Aid, within 7 days, (i) of the name and address of any new
employer of the non-custodial parent, (ii) whether the
non-custodial parent has access to health insurance coverage
through the employer or other group coverage and, if so, the
policy name and number and the names of persons covered under
the policy, and (iii) of any new residential or mailing address
or telephone number of the non-custodial parent. In any
subsequent action to enforce a support order, upon a sufficient
showing that a diligent effort has been made to ascertain the
location of the non-custodial parent, service of process or
provision of notice necessary in the case may be made at the
last known address of the non-custodial parent in any manner
expressly provided by the Code of Civil Procedure or this Act,
which service shall be sufficient for purposes of due process.
    (i) An order for support shall include a date on which the
current support obligation terminates. The termination date
shall be no earlier than the date on which the child covered by
the order will attain the age of 18. However, if the child will
not graduate from high school until after attaining the age of
18, then the termination date shall be no earlier than the
earlier of the date on which the child's high school graduation
will occur or the date on which the child will attain the age
of 19. The order for support shall state that the termination
date does not apply to any arrearage that may remain unpaid on
that date. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to
prevent the court from modifying the order or terminating the
order in the event the child is otherwise emancipated.
    (i-5) If there is an unpaid arrearage or delinquency (as
those terms are defined in the Income Withholding for Support
Act) equal to at least one month's support obligation on the
termination date stated in the order for support or, if there
is no termination date stated in the order, on the date the
child attains the age of majority or is otherwise emancipated,
the periodic amount required to be paid for current support of
that child immediately prior to that date shall automatically
continue to be an obligation, not as current support but as
periodic payment toward satisfaction of the unpaid arrearage or
delinquency. That periodic payment shall be in addition to any
periodic payment previously required for satisfaction of the
arrearage or delinquency. The total periodic amount to be paid
toward satisfaction of the arrearage or delinquency may be
enforced and collected by any method provided by law for
enforcement and collection of child support, including but not
limited to income withholding under the Income Withholding for
Support Act. Each order for support entered or modified on or
after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd
General Assembly must contain a statement notifying the parties
of the requirements of this subsection. Failure to include the
statement in the order for support does not affect the validity
of the order or the operation of the provisions of this
subsection with regard to the order. This subsection shall not
be construed to prevent or affect the establishment or
modification of an order for support of a minor child or the
establishment or modification of an order for support of a
non-minor child or educational expenses under Section 513 of
the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act.
    (j) An order entered under this Section shall include a
provision requiring the obligor to report to the obligee and to
the clerk of court within 10 days each time the obligor obtains
new employment, and each time the obligor's employment is
terminated for any reason. The report shall be in writing and
shall, in the case of new employment, include the name and
address of the new employer. Failure to report new employment
or the termination of current employment, if coupled with
nonpayment of support for a period in excess of 60 days, is
indirect criminal contempt. For any obligor arrested for
failure to report new employment bond shall be set in the
amount of the child support that should have been paid during
the period of unreported employment. An order entered under
this Section shall also include a provision requiring the
obligor and obligee parents to advise each other of a change in
residence within 5 days of the change except when the court
finds that the physical, mental, or emotional health of a party
or that of a minor child, or both, would be seriously
endangered by disclosure of the party's address.
(Source: P.A. 92-590, eff. 7-1-02; 92-876, eff. 6-1-03; 93-139,
eff. 7-10-03; 93-1061, eff. 1-1-05.)

Effective Date: 1/1/2007