Sen. John J. Cullerton

Filed: 4/5/2006

 

 


 

 


 
09400HB4357sam003 LRB094 15974 AJO 58082 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4357

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4357 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 5. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of
5 Marriage Act is amended by changing Section 607 as follows:
 
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
9 to reasonable visitation rights unless the court finds, after a
10 hearing, that visitation would endanger seriously the child's
11 physical, mental, moral or emotional health. If the custodian's
12 street address is not identified, pursuant to Section 708, the
13 court shall require the parties to identify reasonable
14 alternative arrangements for visitation by a non-custodial
15 parent, including but not limited to visitation of the minor
16 child at the residence of another person or at a local public
17 or private facility.
18     (a-3) Grandparents, great-grandparents, and siblings of a
19 minor child, who is one year old or older, have standing to
20 bring an action in circuit court by petition, requesting
21 visitation in accordance with this Section. The term "sibling"
22 in this Section means a brother, sister, stepbrother, or
23 stepsister of the minor child. Grandparents,
24 great-grandparents, and siblings also have standing to file a

 

 

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1 petition for visitation rights in a pending dissolution
2 proceeding or any other proceeding that involves custody or
3 visitation issues, requesting visitation in accordance with
4 this Section. A petition for visitation with a child by a
5 person other than a parent must be filed in the county in which
6 the child resides. Nothing in this subsection (a-3) and
7 subsection (a-5) of this Section shall apply to a child in
8 whose interests a petition is pending under Section 2-13 of the
9 Juvenile Court Act of 1987 or a petition to adopt an unrelated
10 child is pending under the Adoption Act.
11     (a-5)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection
12 (a-5), any grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling may file
13 a petition for visitation rights to a minor child if there is
14 an unreasonable denial of visitation by a parent and at least
15 one of the following conditions exists:
16         (A) (Blank); one parent of the child is incompetent as
17     a matter of law or deceased or has been sentenced to a
18     period of imprisonment for more than 1 year;
19         (A-5) the child's other parent is deceased or has been
20     missing for at least 3 months. For the purposes of this
21     Section a parent is considered to be missing if the
22     parent's location has not been determined and the parent
23     has been reported as missing to a law enforcement agency;
24         (A-10) a parent of the child is incompetent as a matter
25     of law;
26         (A-15) a parent has been incarcerated in jail or prison
27     during the 3 month period preceding the filing of the
28     petition;
29         (B) the child's mother and father are divorced or have
30     been legally separated from each other or there is pending
31     a dissolution proceeding involving a parent of the child or
32     another court proceeding involving custody or visitation
33     of the child (other than any adoption proceeding of an
34     unrelated child) during the 3 month period prior to the

 

 

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1     filing of the petition and at least one parent does not
2     object to the grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling
3     having visitation with the child. The visitation of the
4     grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling must not
5     diminish the visitation of the parent who is not related to
6     the grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling seeking
7     visitation;
8         (C) (Blank); the court, other than a Juvenile Court,
9     has terminated a parent-child relationship and the
10     grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling is the parent
11     of the person whose parental rights have been terminated,
12     except in cases of adoption. The visitation must not be
13     used to allow the parent who lost parental rights to
14     unlawfully visit with the child;
15         (D) the child is born out of wedlock, the parents are
16     not living together, and the petitioner is a maternal
17     grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the child
18     born out of wedlock; or
19         (E) the child is born out of wedlock, the parents are
20     not living together, the petitioner is a paternal
21     grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling, and the
22     paternity has been established by a court of competent
23     jurisdiction.
24     (2) Any visitation rights granted pursuant to this Section
25 before the filing of a petition for adoption of a child shall
26 automatically terminate by operation of law upon the entry of
27 an order terminating parental rights or granting the adoption
28 of the child, whichever is earlier. If the person or persons
29 who adopted the child are related to the child, as defined by
30 Section 1 of the Adoption Act, any person who was related to
31 the child as grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling prior
32 to the adoption shall have standing to bring an action pursuant
33 to this Section requesting visitation with the child. The
34 grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of a parent whose

 

 

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1 parental rights have been terminated through an adoption
2 proceeding may not petition for visitation rights.
3     (3) In making a determination under this subsection (a-5),
4 there is a rebuttable presumption that a fit parent's actions
5 and decisions regarding grandparent, great-grandparent, or
6 sibling visitation are not harmful to the child's mental,
7 physical, or emotional health. The burden is on the party
8 filing a petition under this Section to prove that the parent's
9 actions and decisions regarding visitation times are harmful to
10 the child's mental, physical, or emotional health.
11     (4) In determining whether to grant visitation, the court
12 shall consider the following:
13         (A) the preference of the child if the child is
14     determined to be of sufficient maturity to express a
15     preference;
16         (B) the mental and physical health of the child;
17         (C) the mental and physical health of the grandparent,
18     great-grandparent, or sibling;
19         (D) the length and quality of the prior relationship
20     between the child and the grandparent, great-grandparent,
21     or sibling;
22         (E) the good faith of the party in filing the petition;
23         (F) the good faith of the person denying visitation;
24         (G) the quantity of the visitation time requested and
25     the potential adverse impact that visitation would have on
26     the child's customary activities;
27         (H) whether the child resided with the petitioner for
28     at least 6 consecutive months with or without the current
29     custodian present;
30         (I) whether the petitioner had frequent or regular
31     contact or visitation with the child for at least 12
32     consecutive months; and
33         (J) any other fact that establishes that the loss of
34     the relationship between the petitioner and the child is

 

 

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

 

 

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1 finds that the modification action is vexatious and constitutes
2 harassment.
3     (4) Notice under this subsection (a-7) shall be given as
4 provided in subsections (c) and (d) of Section 601.
5     (b) (1) (Blank.)
6     (1.5) The Court may grant reasonable visitation privileges
7 to a stepparent upon petition to the court by the stepparent,
8 with notice to the parties required to be notified under
9 Section 601 of this Act, if the court determines that it is in
10 the best interests and welfare of the child, and may issue any
11 necessary orders to enforce those visitation privileges. A
12 petition for visitation privileges may be filed under this
13 paragraph (1.5) whether or not a petition pursuant to this Act
14 has been previously filed or is currently pending if the
15 following circumstances are met:
16         (A) the child is at least 12 years old;
17         (B) the child resided continuously with the parent and
18     stepparent for at least 5 years;
19         (C) the parent is deceased or is disabled and is unable
20     to care for the child;
21         (D) the child wishes to have reasonable visitation with
22     the stepparent; and
23         (E) the stepparent was providing for the care, control,
24     and welfare to the child prior to the initiation of the
25     petition for visitation.
26     (2)(A) A petition for visitation privileges shall not be
27 filed pursuant to this subsection (b) by the parents or
28 grandparents of a putative father if the paternity of the
29 putative father has not been legally established.
30     (B) A petition for visitation privileges may not be filed
31 under this subsection (b) if the child who is the subject of
32 the grandparents' or great-grandparents' petition has been
33 voluntarily surrendered by the parent or parents, except for a
34 surrender to the Illinois Department of Children and Family

 

 

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1 Services or a foster care facility, or has been previously
2 adopted by an individual or individuals who are not related to
3 the biological parents of the child or is the subject of a
4 pending adoption petition by an individual or individuals who
5 are not related to the biological parents of the child.
6     (3) (Blank).
7     (c) The court may modify an order granting or denying
8 visitation rights of a parent whenever modification would serve
9 the best interest of the child; but the court shall not
10 restrict a parent's visitation rights unless it finds that the
11 visitation would endanger seriously the child's physical,
12 mental, moral or emotional health. The court may modify an
13 order granting, denying, or limiting visitation rights of a
14 grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of any minor child
15 whenever a change of circumstances has occurred based on facts
16 occurring subsequent to the judgment and the court finds by
17 clear and convincing evidence that the modification is in the
18 best interest of the minor child.
19     (d) If any court has entered an order prohibiting a
20 non-custodial parent of a child from any contact with a child
21 or restricting the non-custodial parent's contact with the
22 child, the following provisions shall apply:
23         (1) If an order has been entered granting visitation
24     privileges with the child to a grandparent or
25     great-grandparent who is related to the child through the
26     non-custodial parent, the visitation privileges of the
27     grandparent or great-grandparent may be revoked if:
28             (i) a court has entered an order prohibiting the
29         non-custodial parent from any contact with the child,
30         and the grandparent or great-grandparent is found to
31         have used his or her visitation privileges to
32         facilitate contact between the child and the
33         non-custodial parent; or
34             (ii) a court has entered an order restricting the

 

 

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1         non-custodial parent's contact with the child, and the
2         grandparent or great-grandparent is found to have used
3         his or her visitation privileges to facilitate contact
4         between the child and the non-custodial parent in a
5         manner that violates the terms of the order restricting
6         the non-custodial parent's contact with the child.
7         Nothing in this subdivision (1) limits the authority of
8     the court to enforce its orders in any manner permitted by
9     law.
10         (2) Any order granting visitation privileges with the
11     child to a grandparent or great-grandparent who is related
12     to the child through the non-custodial parent shall contain
13     the following provision:
14         "If the (grandparent or great-grandparent, whichever
15     is applicable) who has been granted visitation privileges
16     under this order uses the visitation privileges to
17     facilitate contact between the child and the child's
18     non-custodial parent, the visitation privileges granted
19     under this order shall be permanently revoked."
20     (e) No parent, not granted custody of the child, or
21 grandparent, or great-grandparent, or stepparent, or sibling
22 of any minor child, convicted of any offense involving an
23 illegal sex act perpetrated upon a victim less than 18 years of
24 age including but not limited to offenses for violations of
25 Article 12 of the Criminal Code of 1961, is entitled to
26 visitation rights while incarcerated or while on parole,
27 probation, conditional discharge, periodic imprisonment, or
28 mandatory supervised release for that offense, and upon
29 discharge from incarceration for a misdemeanor offense or upon
30 discharge from parole, probation, conditional discharge,
31 periodic imprisonment, or mandatory supervised release for a
32 felony offense, visitation shall be denied until the person
33 successfully completes a treatment program approved by the
34 court.

 

 

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1     (f) Unless the court determines, after considering all
2 relevant factors, including but not limited to those set forth
3 in Section 602(a), that it would be in the best interests of
4 the child to allow visitation, the court shall not enter an
5 order providing visitation rights and pursuant to a motion to
6 modify visitation shall revoke visitation rights previously
7 granted to any person who would otherwise be entitled to
8 petition for visitation rights under this Section who has been
9 convicted of first degree murder of the parent, grandparent,
10 great-grandparent, or sibling of the child who is the subject
11 of the order. Until an order is entered pursuant to this
12 subsection, no person shall visit, with the child present, a
13 person who has been convicted of first degree murder of the
14 parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the
15 child without the consent of the child's parent, other than a
16 parent convicted of first degree murder as set forth herein, or
17 legal guardian.
18     (g) (Blank). If an order has been entered limiting, for
19 cause, a minor child's contact or visitation with a
20 grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling on the grounds that
21 it was in the best interest of the child to do so, that order
22 may be modified only upon a showing of a substantial change in
23 circumstances occurring subsequent to the entry of the order
24 with proof by clear and convincing evidence that modification
25 is in the best interest of the minor child.
26 (Source: P.A. 93-911, eff. 1-1-05; 94-229, eff. 1-1-06.)".