102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB4773

 

Introduced 1/27/2022, by Rep. Patrick Windhorst

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
705 ILCS 405/2-18  from Ch. 37, par. 802-18

    Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Concerning any writing, record, photograph, or x-ray of any hospital or public or private agency made as a memorandum or record of any condition, act, transaction, occurrence or event relating to a minor in an abuse, neglect, or dependency proceeding, a certification by a person or persons employed by the hospital or agency that the writing, record, photograph, or x-ray (rather than certification by the head or responsible employee of the hospital or agency) is the full and complete record of the condition, act, transaction, occurrence or event and that it satisfies the conditions of this provision shall be prima facie evidence of the facts contained in such certification. Deletes provision that a certification by someone other than the head of the hospital or agency shall be accompanied by a photocopy of a delegation of authority signed by both the head of the hospital or agency and by such other employee.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB4773LRB102 25214 RLC 34485 b

1    AN ACT concerning courts.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Juvenile Court Act of 1987 is amended by
5changing Section 2-18 as follows:
 
6    (705 ILCS 405/2-18)  (from Ch. 37, par. 802-18)
7    Sec. 2-18. Evidence.
8    (1) At the adjudicatory hearing, the court shall first
9consider only the question whether the minor is abused,
10neglected or dependent. The standard of proof and the rules of
11evidence in the nature of civil proceedings in this State are
12applicable to proceedings under this Article. If the petition
13also seeks the appointment of a guardian of the person with
14power to consent to adoption of the minor under Section 2-29,
15the court may also consider legally admissible evidence at the
16adjudicatory hearing that one or more grounds of unfitness
17exists under subdivision D of Section 1 of the Adoption Act.
18    (2) In any hearing under this Act, the following shall
19constitute prima facie evidence of abuse or neglect, as the
20case may be:
21        (a) proof that a minor has a medical diagnosis of
22    battered child syndrome is prima facie evidence of abuse;
23        (b) proof that a minor has a medical diagnosis of

 

 

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1    failure to thrive syndrome is prima facie evidence of
2    neglect;
3        (c) proof that a minor has a medical diagnosis of
4    fetal alcohol syndrome is prima facie evidence of neglect;
5        (d) proof that a minor has a medical diagnosis at
6    birth of withdrawal symptoms from narcotics or
7    barbiturates is prima facie evidence of neglect;
8        (e) proof of injuries sustained by a minor or of the
9    condition of a minor of such a nature as would ordinarily
10    not be sustained or exist except by reason of the acts or
11    omissions of the parent, custodian or guardian of such
12    minor shall be prima facie evidence of abuse or neglect,
13    as the case may be;
14        (f) proof that a parent, custodian or guardian of a
15    minor repeatedly used a drug, to the extent that it has or
16    would ordinarily have the effect of producing in the user
17    a substantial state of stupor, unconsciousness,
18    intoxication, hallucination, disorientation or
19    incompetence, or a substantial impairment of judgment, or
20    a substantial manifestation of irrationality, shall be
21    prima facie evidence of neglect;
22        (g) proof that a parent, custodian, or guardian of a
23    minor repeatedly used a controlled substance, as defined
24    in subsection (f) of Section 102 of the Illinois
25    Controlled Substances Act, in the presence of the minor or
26    a sibling of the minor is prima facie evidence of neglect.

 

 

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1    "Repeated use", for the purpose of this subsection, means
2    more than one use of a controlled substance as defined in
3    subsection (f) of Section 102 of the Illinois Controlled
4    Substances Act;
5        (h) proof that a newborn infant's blood, urine, or
6    meconium contains any amount of a controlled substance as
7    defined in subsection (f) of Section 102 of the Illinois
8    Controlled Substances Act, or a metabolite of a controlled
9    substance, with the exception of controlled substances or
10    metabolites of those substances, the presence of which is
11    the result of medical treatment administered to the mother
12    or the newborn, is prime facie evidence of neglect;
13        (i) proof that a minor was present in a structure or
14    vehicle in which the minor's parent, custodian, or
15    guardian was involved in the manufacture of
16    methamphetamine constitutes prima facie evidence of abuse
17    and neglect;
18        (j) proof that a parent, custodian, or guardian of a
19    minor allows, encourages, or requires a minor to perform,
20    offer, or agree to perform any act of sexual penetration
21    as defined in Section 11-0.1 of the Criminal Code of 2012
22    for any money, property, token, object, or article or
23    anything of value, or any touching or fondling of the sex
24    organs of one person by another person, for any money,
25    property, token, object, or article or anything of value,
26    for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification,

 

 

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1    constitutes prima facie evidence of abuse and neglect;
2        (k) proof that a parent, custodian, or guardian of a
3    minor commits or allows to be committed the offense of
4    involuntary servitude, involuntary sexual servitude of a
5    minor, or trafficking in persons as defined in Section
6    10-9 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of
7    2012, upon such minor, constitutes prima facie evidence of
8    abuse and neglect.
9    (3) In any hearing under this Act, proof of the abuse,
10neglect or dependency of one minor shall be admissible
11evidence on the issue of the abuse, neglect or dependency of
12any other minor for whom the respondent is responsible.
13    (4) (a) Any writing, record, photograph or x-ray of any
14hospital or public or private agency, whether in the form of an
15entry in a book or otherwise, made as a memorandum or record of
16any condition, act, transaction, occurrence or event relating
17to a minor in an abuse, neglect or dependency proceeding,
18shall be admissible in evidence as proof of that condition,
19act, transaction, occurrence or event, if the court finds that
20the document was made in the regular course of the business of
21the hospital or agency and that it was in the regular course of
22such business to make it, at the time of the act, transaction,
23occurrence or event, or within a reasonable time thereafter. A
24certification by a person or persons employed by the hospital
25or agency the head or responsible employee of the hospital or
26agency that the writing, record, photograph or x-ray is the

 

 

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1full and complete record of the condition, act, transaction,
2occurrence or event and that it satisfies the conditions of
3this paragraph shall be prima facie evidence of the facts
4contained in such certification. A certification by someone
5other than the head of the hospital or agency shall be
6accompanied by a photocopy of a delegation of authority signed
7by both the head of the hospital or agency and by such other
8employee. All other circumstances of the making of the
9memorandum, record, photograph or x-ray, including lack of
10personal knowledge of the maker, may be proved to affect the
11weight to be accorded such evidence, but shall not affect its
12admissibility.
13    (b) Any indicated report filed pursuant to the Abused and
14Neglected Child Reporting Act shall be admissible in evidence.
15    (c) Previous statements made by the minor relating to any
16allegations of abuse or neglect shall be admissible in
17evidence. However, no such statement, if uncorroborated and
18not subject to cross-examination, shall be sufficient in
19itself to support a finding of abuse or neglect.
20    (d) There shall be a rebuttable presumption that a minor
21is competent to testify in abuse or neglect proceedings. The
22court shall determine how much weight to give to the minor's
23testimony, and may allow the minor to testify in chambers with
24only the court, the court reporter and attorneys for the
25parties present.
26    (e) The privileged character of communication between any

 

 

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1professional person and patient or client, except privilege
2between attorney and client, shall not apply to proceedings
3subject to this Article.
4    (f) Proof of the impairment of emotional health or
5impairment of mental or emotional condition as a result of the
6failure of the respondent to exercise a minimum degree of care
7toward a minor may include competent opinion or expert
8testimony, and may include proof that such impairment lessened
9during a period when the minor was in the care, custody or
10supervision of a person or agency other than the respondent.
11    (5) In any hearing under this Act alleging neglect for
12failure to provide education as required by law under
13subsection (1) of Section 2-3, proof that a minor under 13
14years of age who is subject to compulsory school attendance
15under the School Code is a chronic truant as defined under the
16School Code shall be prima facie evidence of neglect by the
17parent or guardian in any hearing under this Act and proof that
18a minor who is 13 years of age or older who is subject to
19compulsory school attendance under the School Code is a
20chronic truant shall raise a rebuttable presumption of neglect
21by the parent or guardian. This subsection (5) shall not apply
22in counties with 2,000,000 or more inhabitants.
23    (6) In any hearing under this Act, the court may take
24judicial notice of prior sworn testimony or evidence admitted
25in prior proceedings involving the same minor if (a) the
26parties were either represented by counsel at such prior

 

 

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1proceedings or the right to counsel was knowingly waived and
2(b) the taking of judicial notice would not result in
3admitting hearsay evidence at a hearing where it would
4otherwise be prohibited.
5(Source: P.A. 96-1464, eff. 8-20-10; 97-897, eff. 1-1-13;
697-1150, eff. 1-25-13.)