101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB4842

 

Introduced 2/18/2020___________, by

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Supported Decision-Making Agreement Act. Authorizes the creation of supported decision-making agreements and allows a supporter to assist a principal in accessing, collecting, or obtaining information that is relevant to a decision authorized under the supported decision-making agreement. Provides that all adults are presumed to be capable of managing their affairs and to have capacity unless otherwise determined by a court. Provides that certain persons are disqualified from acting as a supporter. Provides that a supporter may exercise the authority granted to the supporter in the supported decision-making agreement. Provides for the duties of a supporter in a supported decision-making agreement. Prohibits a supporter from doing certain actions in relation to the principal. Requires a notary public or 2 or more witnesses to be present and sign and date a supported decision-making agreement. Provides a form for a supported decision-making agreement. Provides that a person is not subject to criminal or civil liability and has not engaged in professional misconduct for an act or omission under certain circumstances. Provides that a decision or request made or communicated with the assistance of a supporter shall be recognized as the decision or request of the principal and may be enforced by the principal or supporter on the same basis as a decision or request of the principal. Provides that if a person who receives a copy or is aware of the existence of a supported decision-making agreement and has cause to believe that the principal is being abused, neglected, or exploited by the supporter, the person shall report the alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation to the Adult Protective Services Hotline. Provides for the termination of a supported decision-making agreement. Provides that a principal may revoke the supported decision-making agreement and invalidate the supported decision-making agreement at any time. Provides that a supporter may resign by giving notice to the principal. Effective immediately.


LRB101 17489 LNS 66899 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4842LRB101 17489 LNS 66899 b

1    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Supported Decision-Making Agreement Act.
 
6    Section 5. Purpose; interpretation. The purpose of this Act
7is to recognize a less-restrictive alternative to guardianship
8for adults with disabilities who need assistance with decisions
9regarding daily living.
10    This Act shall be administered and interpreted in
11accordance with the following principles:
12        (1) All adults should be able to live in the manner
13    they choose and to accept or refuse support, assistance, or
14    protection as long as they do not harm others and are
15    capable of making decisions about those matters.
16        (2) All adults should be able to be informed about and,
17    to the best of their ability, participate in the management
18    of their affairs.
19        (3) All adults should receive the most effective yet
20    least restrictive and intrusive forms of support,
21    assistance, and protection when they are unable to care for
22    themselves or manage their affairs alone.
23        (4) The values, beliefs, wishes, cultural norms, and

 

 

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1    traditions that an adult holds should be respected in
2    managing the affairs of an adult.
 
3    Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
4    "Adult" means a person who is at least 18 years of age.
5    "Principal" means an adult who seeks to enter, or has
6entered, into a supported decision-making agreement with a
7supporter under this Act.
8    "Supported decision-making agreement" means an agreement
9between a principal and a supporter under this Act.
10    "Supporter" means an adult who has entered into a supported
11decision-making agreement with a principal under this Act.
 
12    Section 15. Presumption of capability.
13    (a) All adults are presumed to be capable of managing their
14affairs and to have capacity unless otherwise determined by a
15court. A diagnosis of mental illness, intellectual disability,
16or developmental disability, of itself, does not void the
17presumption of capacity.
18    (b) The manner in which an adult communicates with others
19is not grounds for deciding that the adult is incapable of
20managing the affairs of the adult.
21    (c) The execution of a supported decision-making agreement
22may not be used as evidence of incapacity and does not preclude
23the ability of the adult who has entered into a supported
24decision-making agreement to act independently of the

 

 

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1agreement.
 
2    Section 20. Supporter disqualifications. The following
3persons are disqualified from acting as a supporter:
4        (1) a person who is an employer or employee of the
5    principal, unless the person is an immediate family member
6    of the principal;
7        (2) a person directly providing paid support services
8    to the principal, with the exception of supported
9    decision-making services, unless the person is an
10    immediate family member of the principal;
11        (3) a person who works for an agency that is
12    financially responsible for the care of the principal;
13        (4) a person who has had a court find that he or she
14    has committed abuse, neglect, or exploitation of the
15    principal, a child, an elderly individual, or a person with
16    a disability;
17        (5) a person against whom the principal has obtained an
18    order of protection or an individual who is the subject of
19    a civil or criminal order prohibiting contact with the
20    principal; and
21        (6) a person who has been convicted of:
22            (i) a sex offense;
23            (ii) aggravated assault;
24            (iii) fraud;
25            (iv) theft;

 

 

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1            (v) forgery; or
2            (vi) extortion.
 
3    Section 25. Authority of the supporter. A supporter may
4exercise the authority granted to the supporter in the
5supported decision-making agreement.
 
6    Section 30. Supporter duties.
7    (a) Except as otherwise provided by a supported
8decision-making agreement, a supporter may:
9        (1) Assist the principal in understanding information,
10    options, responsibilities, and consequences of the life
11    decisions of the principal, including those decisions
12    related to the affairs or support services of the
13    principal.
14        (2) Help the principal access, obtain, and understand
15    any information that is relevant to any given life
16    decision, including a medical, psychological, financial,
17    or educational decision, or any treatment records or
18    records necessary to manage the affairs or support services
19    of the principal.
20        (3) Assist the principal in finding, obtaining, making
21    appointments for, and implementing the support services or
22    plans for support services of the principal.
23        (4) Help the principal monitor information about the
24    affairs or support services of the principal, including

 

 

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1    keeping track of future necessary or recommended services.
2        (5) Ascertain the wishes and decisions of the
3    principal, assist in communicating those wishes and
4    decisions to other persons, and advocate to ensure that the
5    wishes and decisions of the principal are implemented.
6    (b) A supporter shall act with the care, competence, and
7diligence ordinarily exercised by an individual in a similar
8circumstance, with due regard to the possession of, or lack of,
9special skills or expertise.
 
10    Section 35. Supporter prohibitions. A supporter is
11prohibited from:
12        (1) Exerting undue influence upon, or making decisions
13    on behalf of, the principal.
14        (2) Obtaining, without the consent of the principal,
15    information that is not reasonably related to matters with
16    which the supporter is authorized to assist under the
17    supported decision-making agreement.
18        (3) Using, without the consent of the principal,
19    information acquired for a purpose other than assisting the
20    principal to make a decision under the supported
21    decision-making agreement.
 
22    Section 40. Access to personal information.
23    (a) A supporter is only authorized to assist the principal
24in accessing, collecting, or obtaining information that is

 

 

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1relevant to a decision authorized under the supported
2decision-making agreement.
3    (b) If a supporter assists a principal in accessing,
4collecting, or obtaining personal information, including
5protected health information under the Health Insurance
6Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 or educational
7records under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of
81974, the supporter shall ensure that the information is kept
9privileged and confidential, as applicable, and is not subject
10to unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.
11    (c) The existence of a supported decision-making agreement
12does not preclude a principal from seeking personal information
13without the assistance of the supporter.
 
14    Section 45. Authorization and witnesses. A principal and
15his or her supporter entering into a supported decision-making
16agreement shall sign and date the agreement in the presence of
17a notary public or in the presence of 2 or more subscribing
18witnesses who are at least 18 years of age.
 
19    Section 50. Agreement instrument. A supported
20decision-making agreement is valid if it substantially follows
21the following form:
22
"SUPPORTED DECISION-MAKING AGREEMENT

 
23
Important Information for the Supporter: Duties

 

 

 

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1    If you agree to provide support to the principal, you have
2a duty to:
3        (1) act in good faith;
4        (2) act within the authority granted in this agreement;
5        (3) act loyally and without self-interest; and
6        (4) avoid conflicts of interest.
 
7
Appointment of Supporter

 
8    I, (insert principal's name), make this agreement of my own
9free will.
 
10    I agree and designate that the following individual is my
11supporter:
12    Name: ...............................................
13    Address: ............................................
14    Phone Number: .......................................
15    Email Address: ..........................................
 
16    My supporter is to help me make decisions for myself and
17may help me with making everyday life decisions relating to the
18following:
19    (Yes/No)   obtaining food, clothing, and shelter.
20    (Yes/No)   taking care of my physical and emotional health.
21    (Yes/No)   managing my financial affairs.

 

 

HB4842- 8 -LRB101 17489 LNS 66899 b

1    (Yes/No)   applying for public benefits.
2    (Yes/No)   helping me find work.
3    (Yes/No)   assisting with residential services.
4    (Yes/No)   helping me with school.
5    (Yes/No)   helping me advocate for myself.
 
6    My supporter is not allowed to make decisions for me. To
7help me with my decisions, my supporter may:
8        (1) help me access, collect, or obtain information that
9    is relevant to a decision, including medical,
10    psychological, financial, educational, housing, and
11    treatment records;
12        (2) help me understand my options so that I can make an
13    informed decision; and
14        (3) help me communicate my decision to appropriate
15    persons.
 
16    I want my supporter to have:
17        (Yes/No)  A release allowing my supporter to see
18    protected health information under the Health Insurance
19    Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is attached.
20        (Yes/No)  A release allowing my supporter to see
21    confidential information under the Mental Health and
22    Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act is
23    attached.
24        (Yes/No)  A release allowing my supporter to see

 

 

HB4842- 9 -LRB101 17489 LNS 66899 b

1    educational records under the Family Educational Rights
2    and Privacy Act of 1974 and the Illinois School Records Act
3    is attached.
4        (Yes/No)  A release allowing my supporter to see
5    substance abuse records under Confidentiality of Alcohol
6    and Drug Abuse Patient Records regulations is attached.
 
7    This supported decision-making agreement is effective
8immediately and will continue until (insert date) or until the
9agreement is terminated by my supporter or me or by operation
10of law.
11    Signed this .... day of ........, 20....
 
12    (Signature of Principal)   (Printed name of principal)
 
13
Consent of Supporter

 
14    I, (name of supporter), consent to act as a supporter under
15this agreement.
 
16    (Signature of supporter)  (Printed name of supporter)
17    (Witness 1 signature)      (Printed name of witness 1)
18    (Witness 2 signature)      (Printed name of witness 2)
 
19
WARNING: PROTECTION FOR THE ADULT WITH A DISABILITY

 

 

 

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1IF A PERSON WHO RECEIVES A COPY OF THIS AGREEMENT OR IS AWARE
2OF THE EXISTENCE OF THIS AGREEMENT HAS CAUSE TO BELIEVE THAT
3THE ADULT WITH A DISABILITY IS BEING ABUSED, NEGLECTED, OR
4EXPLOITED BY THE SUPPORTER, THE PERSON SHALL REPORT THE ALLEGED
5ABUSE, NEGLECT, OR EXPLOITATION TO THE ADULT PROTECTIVE
6SERVICES HOTLINE: 1-866-800-1409, 1-888-206-1327 (TTY)."
 
7     This form is not intended to exclude other forms or
8agreements that identify the principal, supporter, and types of
9supports.
 
10    Section 55. Reliance on agreement; limitation of
11liability.
12    (a) A person who receives the original or a copy of a
13supported decision-making agreement shall rely on the
14agreement.
15    (b) A person is not subject to criminal or civil liability
16and has not engaged in professional misconduct for an act or
17omission if the act or omission is done in good faith and in
18reliance on a supported decision-making agreement.
 
19    Section 60. Recognition of supporters. A decision or
20request made or communicated with the assistance of a supporter
21in conformity with this Act shall be recognized for the
22purposes of any provision of law as the decision or request of
23the principal and may be enforced by the principal or supporter

 

 

HB4842- 11 -LRB101 17489 LNS 66899 b

1in law or equity on the same basis as a decision or request of
2the principal.
 
3    Section 65. Reporting of suspected abuse, neglect, or
4exploitation. If a person who receives a copy of a supported
5decision-making agreement or is aware of the existence of a
6supported decision-making agreement and has cause to believe
7that the adult with a disability is being abused, neglected, or
8exploited by the supporter, the person shall report the alleged
9abuse, neglect, or exploitation to the Adult Protective
10Services Hotline: 1-866-800-1409, 1-888-206-1327 (TTY).
 
11    Section 70. Term of agreement; revocation.
12    (a) A supported decision-making agreement extends until
13terminated by either party or by the terms of the agreement.
14    (b) A supported decision-making agreement is terminated
15if:
16        (1) the Office of Inspector General or Adult Protective
17    Services substantiated an allegation of abuse or neglect by
18    the supporter; or
19        (2) there is a restraining order against the supporter
20    by the principal.
21    (c) A principal may revoke his or her supported
22decision-making agreement and invalidate the supported
23decision-making agreement at any time by:
24        (1) canceling or destroying the supported

 

 

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1    decision-making agreement or directing another in the
2    presence of the principal to destroy the decision-making
3    agreement;
4        (2) executing a statement, in writing, that is signed
5    and dated by the principal, expressing his or her intent to
6    revoke the supported decision-making agreement; or
7        (3) verbally expressing the intent of the principal to
8    revoke the supported decision-making agreement in the
9    presence of 2 witnesses.
10    (d) Unless the supported decision-making agreement
11provides a different method for the resignation of the support,
12a supporter may resign by giving notice to the principal.
 
13    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
14becoming law.