103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB5638

 

Introduced 2/9/2024, by Rep. Maurice A. West, II

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
705 ILCS 405/1-3  from Ch. 37, par. 801-3
705 ILCS 405/2-17  from Ch. 37, par. 802-17
750 ILCS 5/506  from Ch. 40, par. 506

    Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Defines a guardian ad litem as either (i) an attorney licensed in Illinois to practice law; or (ii) a person who holds at a minimum a bachelor's degree in psychology, psychiatry, social work, education, or any other relevant child-related discipline involving determining a child's best interests. Provides that a guardian litem must receive training to ensure they have a fundamental working knowledge of abuser tactics and its effects on children in domestic violence cases as ordered by the Supreme Court. Requires a guardian ad litem to meet with a child who has been exposed to domestic violence in an age-appropriate manner for at least an hour before the issuance of any judicial decision affecting the parental rights of the child and to meet with the child for at least an hour every 3 months and provide a written update to the court at least every six months. Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act to make conforming changes.


LRB103 37439 JRC 67561 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5638LRB103 37439 JRC 67561 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 5. The Juvenile Court Act of 1987 is amended by
5changing Sections 1-3 and 2-17 as follows:
 
6    (705 ILCS 405/1-3)  (from Ch. 37, par. 801-3)
7    Sec. 1-3. Definitions. Terms used in this Act, unless the
8context otherwise requires, have the following meanings
9ascribed to them:
10    (1) "Adjudicatory hearing" means a hearing to determine
11whether the allegations of a petition under Section 2-13,
123-15, or 4-12 that a minor under 18 years of age is abused,
13neglected, or dependent, or requires authoritative
14intervention, or addicted, respectively, are supported by a
15preponderance of the evidence or whether the allegations of a
16petition under Section 5-520 that a minor is delinquent are
17proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
18    (2) "Adult" means a person 21 years of age or older.
19    (3) "Agency" means a public or private child care facility
20legally authorized or licensed by this State for placement or
21institutional care or for both placement and institutional
22care.
23    (4) "Association" means any organization, public or

 

 

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1private, engaged in welfare functions which include services
2to or on behalf of children but does not include "agency" as
3herein defined.
4    (4.05) Whenever a "best interest" determination is
5required, the following factors shall be considered in the
6context of the child's age and developmental needs:
7        (a) the physical safety and welfare of the child,
8    including food, shelter, health, and clothing;
9        (b) the development of the child's identity;
10        (c) the child's background and ties, including
11    familial, cultural, and religious;
12        (d) the child's sense of attachments, including:
13            (i) where the child actually feels love,
14        attachment, and a sense of being valued (as opposed to
15        where adults believe the child should feel such love,
16        attachment, and a sense of being valued);
17            (ii) the child's sense of security;
18            (iii) the child's sense of familiarity;
19            (iv) continuity of affection for the child;
20            (v) the least disruptive placement alternative for
21        the child;
22        (e) the child's wishes and long-term goals;
23        (f) the child's community ties, including church,
24    school, and friends;
25        (g) the child's need for permanence which includes the
26    child's need for stability and continuity of relationships

 

 

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1    with parent figures and with siblings and other relatives;
2        (h) the uniqueness of every family and child;
3        (i) the risks attendant to entering and being in
4    substitute care; and
5        (j) the preferences of the persons available to care
6    for the child.
7    (4.1) "Chronic truant" shall have the definition ascribed
8to it in Section 26-2a of the School Code.
9    (5) "Court" means the circuit court in a session or
10division assigned to hear proceedings under this Act.
11    (6) "Dispositional hearing" means a hearing to determine
12whether a minor should be adjudged to be a ward of the court,
13and to determine what order of disposition should be made in
14respect to a minor adjudged to be a ward of the court.
15    (6.5) "Dissemination" or "disseminate" means to publish,
16produce, print, manufacture, distribute, sell, lease, exhibit,
17broadcast, display, transmit, or otherwise share information
18in any format so as to make the information accessible to
19others.
20    (7) "Emancipated minor" means any minor 16 years of age or
21over who has been completely or partially emancipated under
22the Emancipation of Minors Act or under this Act.
23    (7.03) "Expunge" means to physically destroy the records
24and to obliterate the minor's name from any official index,
25public record, or electronic database.
26    (7.05) "Foster parent" includes a relative caregiver

 

 

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1selected by the Department of Children and Family Services to
2provide care for the minor.
3    (7.07) "Guardian ad litem" means either (i) an attorney
4licensed in Illinois to practice law; or (ii) a person who
5holds at a minimum a bachelor's degree in psychology,
6psychiatry, social work, education, or any other relevant
7child-related discipline involving determining a child's best
8interests. A guardian litem must receive training as ordered
9by the Supreme Court to ensure they have a fundamental working
10knowledge of abuser tactics and its effects on children in
11domestic violence cases.
12    (8) "Guardianship of the person" of a minor means the duty
13and authority to act in the best interests of the minor,
14subject to residual parental rights and responsibilities, to
15make important decisions in matters having a permanent effect
16on the life and development of the minor and to be concerned
17with the minor's general welfare. It includes but is not
18necessarily limited to:
19        (a) the authority to consent to marriage, to
20    enlistment in the armed forces of the United States, or to
21    a major medical, psychiatric, and surgical treatment; to
22    represent the minor in legal actions; and to make other
23    decisions of substantial legal significance concerning the
24    minor;
25        (b) the authority and duty of reasonable visitation,
26    except to the extent that these have been limited in the

 

 

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1    best interests of the minor by court order;
2        (c) the rights and responsibilities of legal custody
3    except where legal custody has been vested in another
4    person or agency; and
5        (d) the power to consent to the adoption of the minor,
6    but only if expressly conferred on the guardian in
7    accordance with Section 2-29, 3-30, or 4-27.
8    (8.1) "Juvenile court record" includes, but is not limited
9to:
10        (a) all documents filed in or maintained by the
11    juvenile court pertaining to a specific incident,
12    proceeding, or individual;
13        (b) all documents relating to a specific incident,
14    proceeding, or individual made available to or maintained
15    by probation officers;
16        (c) all documents, video or audio tapes, photographs,
17    and exhibits admitted into evidence at juvenile court
18    hearings; or
19        (d) all documents, transcripts, records, reports, or
20    other evidence prepared by, maintained by, or released by
21    any municipal, county, or State agency or department, in
22    any format, if indicating involvement with the juvenile
23    court relating to a specific incident, proceeding, or
24    individual.
25    (8.2) "Juvenile law enforcement record" includes records
26of arrest, station adjustments, fingerprints, probation

 

 

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1adjustments, the issuance of a notice to appear, or any other
2records or documents maintained by any law enforcement agency
3relating to a minor suspected of committing an offense, and
4records maintained by a law enforcement agency that identifies
5a juvenile as a suspect in committing an offense, but does not
6include records identifying a juvenile as a victim, witness,
7or missing juvenile and any records created, maintained, or
8used for purposes of referral to programs relating to
9diversion as defined in subsection (6) of Section 5-105.
10    (9) "Legal custody" means the relationship created by an
11order of court in the best interests of the minor which imposes
12on the custodian the responsibility of physical possession of
13a minor and the duty to protect, train and discipline the minor
14and to provide the minor with food, shelter, education, and
15ordinary medical care, except as these are limited by residual
16parental rights and responsibilities and the rights and
17responsibilities of the guardian of the person, if any.
18    (9.1) "Mentally capable adult relative" means a person 21
19years of age or older who is not suffering from a mental
20illness that prevents the person from providing the care
21necessary to safeguard the physical safety and welfare of a
22minor who is left in that person's care by the parent or
23parents or other person responsible for the minor's welfare.
24    (10) "Minor" means a person under the age of 21 years
25subject to this Act.
26    (11) "Parent" means a father or mother of a child and

 

 

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1includes any adoptive parent. It also includes a person (i)
2whose parentage is presumed or has been established under the
3law of this or another jurisdiction or (ii) who has registered
4with the Putative Father Registry in accordance with Section
512.1 of the Adoption Act and whose paternity has not been ruled
6out under the law of this or another jurisdiction. It does not
7include a parent whose rights in respect to the minor have been
8terminated in any manner provided by law. It does not include a
9person who has been or could be determined to be a parent under
10the Illinois Parentage Act of 1984 or the Illinois Parentage
11Act of 2015, or similar parentage law in any other state, if
12that person has been convicted of or pled nolo contendere to a
13crime that resulted in the conception of the child under
14Section 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-11, 12-13, 12-14,
1512-14.1, subsection (a) or (b) (but not subsection (c)) of
16Section 11-1.50 or 12-15, or subsection (a), (b), (c), (e), or
17(f) (but not subsection (d)) of Section 11-1.60 or 12-16 of the
18Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, or similar
19statute in another jurisdiction unless upon motion of any
20party, other than the offender, to the juvenile court
21proceedings the court finds it is in the child's best interest
22to deem the offender a parent for purposes of the juvenile
23court proceedings.
24    (11.1) "Permanency goal" means a goal set by the court as
25defined in subdivision (2) of Section 2-28.
26    (11.2) "Permanency hearing" means a hearing to set the

 

 

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1permanency goal and to review and determine (i) the
2appropriateness of the services contained in the plan and
3whether those services have been provided, (ii) whether
4reasonable efforts have been made by all the parties to the
5service plan to achieve the goal, and (iii) whether the plan
6and goal have been achieved.
7    (12) "Petition" means the petition provided for in Section
82-13, 3-15, 4-12, or 5-520, including any supplemental
9petitions thereunder in Section 3-15, 4-12, or 5-520.
10    (12.1) "Physically capable adult relative" means a person
1121 years of age or older who does not have a severe physical
12disability or medical condition, or is not suffering from
13alcoholism or drug addiction, that prevents the person from
14providing the care necessary to safeguard the physical safety
15and welfare of a minor who is left in that person's care by the
16parent or parents or other person responsible for the minor's
17welfare.
18    (12.2) "Post Permanency Sibling Contact Agreement" has the
19meaning ascribed to the term in Section 7.4 of the Children and
20Family Services Act.
21    (12.3) "Residential treatment center" means a licensed
22setting that provides 24-hour care to children in a group home
23or institution, including a facility licensed as a child care
24institution under Section 2.06 of the Child Care Act of 1969, a
25licensed group home under Section 2.16 of the Child Care Act of
261969, a qualified residential treatment program under Section

 

 

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12.35 of the Child Care Act of 1969, a secure child care
2facility as defined in paragraph (18) of this Section, or any
3similar facility in another state. "Residential treatment
4center" does not include a relative foster home or a licensed
5foster family home.
6    (13) "Residual parental rights and responsibilities" means
7those rights and responsibilities remaining with the parent
8after the transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the
9person, including, but not necessarily limited to, the right
10to reasonable visitation (which may be limited by the court in
11the best interests of the minor as provided in subsection
12(8)(b) of this Section), the right to consent to adoption, the
13right to determine the minor's religious affiliation, and the
14responsibility for the minor's support.
15    (14) "Shelter" means the temporary care of a minor in
16physically unrestricting facilities pending court disposition
17or execution of court order for placement.
18    (14.05) "Shelter placement" means a temporary or emergency
19placement for a minor, including an emergency foster home
20placement.
21    (14.1) "Sibling Contact Support Plan" has the meaning
22ascribed to the term in Section 7.4 of the Children and Family
23Services Act.
24    (14.2) "Significant event report" means a written document
25describing an occurrence or event beyond the customary
26operations, routines, or relationships in the Department of

 

 

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1Children of Family Services, a child care facility, or other
2entity that is licensed or regulated by the Department of
3Children of Family Services or that provides services for the
4Department of Children of Family Services under a grant,
5contract, or purchase of service agreement; involving children
6or youth, employees, foster parents, or relative caregivers;
7allegations of abuse or neglect or any other incident raising
8a concern about the well-being of a minor under the
9jurisdiction of the court under Article II of the Juvenile
10Court Act of 1987; incidents involving damage to property,
11allegations of criminal activity, misconduct, or other
12occurrences affecting the operations of the Department of
13Children of Family Services or a child care facility; any
14incident that could have media impact; and unusual incidents
15as defined by Department of Children and Family Services rule.
16    (15) "Station adjustment" means the informal handling of
17an alleged offender by a juvenile police officer.
18    (16) "Ward of the court" means a minor who is so adjudged
19under Section 2-22, 3-23, 4-20, or 5-705, after a finding of
20the requisite jurisdictional facts, and thus is subject to the
21dispositional powers of the court under this Act.
22    (17) "Juvenile police officer" means a sworn police
23officer who has completed a Basic Recruit Training Course, has
24been assigned to the position of juvenile police officer by
25the officer's chief law enforcement officer and has completed
26the necessary juvenile officers training as prescribed by the

 

 

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1Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board, or in the
2case of a State police officer, juvenile officer training
3approved by the Director of the Illinois State Police.
4    (18) "Secure child care facility" means any child care
5facility licensed by the Department of Children and Family
6Services to provide secure living arrangements for children
7under 18 years of age who are subject to placement in
8facilities under the Children and Family Services Act and who
9are not subject to placement in facilities for whom standards
10are established by the Department of Corrections under Section
113-15-2 of the Unified Code of Corrections. "Secure child care
12facility" also means a facility that is designed and operated
13to ensure that all entrances and exits from the facility, a
14building, or a distinct part of the building are under the
15exclusive control of the staff of the facility, whether or not
16the child has the freedom of movement within the perimeter of
17the facility, building, or distinct part of the building.
18(Source: P.A. 102-538, eff. 8-20-21; 103-22, eff. 8-8-23;
19103-564, eff. 11-17-23.)
 
20    (705 ILCS 405/2-17)  (from Ch. 37, par. 802-17)
21    Sec. 2-17. Guardian ad litem.
22    (1) Immediately upon the filing of a petition alleging
23that the minor is a person described in Sections 2-3 or 2-4 of
24this Article, the court shall appoint a guardian ad litem for
25the minor if:

 

 

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1        (a) such petition alleges that the minor is an abused
2    or neglected child; or
3        (b) such petition alleges that charges alleging the
4    commission of any of the sex offenses defined in Article
5    11 or in Sections 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-1.50,
6    11-1.60, 12-13, 12-14, 12-14.1, 12-15 or 12-16 of the
7    Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, have
8    been filed against a defendant in any court and that such
9    minor is the alleged victim of the acts of the defendant in
10    the commission of such offense.
11    Unless the guardian ad litem appointed pursuant to this
12paragraph (1) is an attorney at law, the guardian ad litem
13shall be represented in the performance of the guardian ad
14litem's duties by counsel. The guardian ad litem shall
15represent the best interests of the minor and shall present
16recommendations to the court consistent with that duty.
17    (2) Before proceeding with the hearing, the court shall
18appoint a guardian ad litem for the minor if:
19        (a) no parent, guardian, custodian or relative of the
20    minor appears at the first or any subsequent hearing of
21    the case;
22        (b) the petition prays for the appointment of a
23    guardian with power to consent to adoption; or
24        (c) the petition for which the minor is before the
25    court resulted from a report made pursuant to the Abused
26    and Neglected Child Reporting Act.

 

 

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1    (3) The court may appoint a guardian ad litem for the minor
2whenever it finds that there may be a conflict of interest
3between the minor and the minor's parents or other custodian
4or that it is otherwise in the minor's best interest to do so.
5    (4) Unless the guardian ad litem is an attorney, the
6guardian ad litem shall be represented by counsel.
7    (4.5) Pursuant to Section 6b-1 of the Children and Family
8Services Act, the Department of Children and Family Services
9must maintain the name, electronic mail address, and telephone
10number for each minor's court-appointed guardian ad litem and,
11if applicable, the guardian ad litem's supervisor. The
12Department of Children and Family Services must update this
13contact information within 5 days of receiving notice of a
14change. The Advocacy Office for Children and Families,
15established pursuant to Section 5e of the Children and Family
16Services Act, must make this contact information available to
17the minor, current foster parent or caregiver, or caseworker,
18if requested.
19    (5) The reasonable fees of a guardian ad litem appointed
20under this Section shall be fixed by the court and charged to
21the parents of the minor, to the extent they are able to pay.
22If the parents are unable to pay those fees, they shall be paid
23from the general fund of the county.
24    (6) A guardian ad litem appointed under this Section,
25shall receive copies of any and all classified reports of
26child abuse and neglect made under the Abused and Neglected

 

 

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1Child Reporting Act in which the minor who is the subject of a
2report under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, is
3also the minor for whom the guardian ad litem is appointed
4under this Section.
5    (6.5) A guardian ad litem appointed under this Section or
6attorney appointed under this Act shall receive a copy of each
7significant event report that involves the minor no later than
83 days after the Department learns of an event requiring a
9significant event report to be written, or earlier as required
10by Department rule.
11    (7) The appointed guardian ad litem shall remain the
12minor's guardian ad litem throughout the entire juvenile trial
13court proceedings, including permanency hearings and
14termination of parental rights proceedings, unless there is a
15substitution entered by order of the court.
16    (8) The guardian ad litem or an agent of the guardian ad
17litem shall do the following:
18        (A) have a minimum of one in-person contact with the
19    minor and one contact with one of the current foster
20    parents or caregivers prior to the adjudicatory hearing; ,
21    and
22        (B) at least one additional in-person contact with the
23    child and one contact with one of the current foster
24    parents or caregivers after the adjudicatory hearing but
25    prior to the first permanency hearing; and
26        (C) one additional in-person contact with the child

 

 

HB5638- 15 -LRB103 37439 JRC 67561 b

1    and one contact with one of the current foster parents or
2    caregivers each subsequent year; .
3        (D) meet with a child who has been exposed to domestic
4    violence in an age-appropriate manner for at least an hour
5    before the issuance of any judicial decision affecting the
6    parental rights of the child; and
7        (E) meet with the child for at least an hour every 3
8    months and provide a written update to the court at least
9    every six months.
10        (F) For good cause shown, the judge may excuse
11    face-to-face interviews required in this subsection.
12    (9) In counties with a population of 100,000 or more but
13less than 3,000,000, each guardian ad litem must successfully
14complete a training program approved by the Department of
15Children and Family Services. The Department of Children and
16Family Services shall provide training materials and documents
17to guardians ad litem who are not mandated to attend the
18training program. The Department of Children and Family
19Services shall develop and distribute to all guardians ad
20litem a bibliography containing information including but not
21limited to the juvenile court process, termination of parental
22rights, child development, medical aspects of child abuse, and
23the child's need for safety and permanence.
24(Source: P.A. 102-208, eff. 7-30-21; 103-22, eff. 8-8-23.)
 
25    Section 10. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of

 

 

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1Marriage Act is amended by changing Section 506 as follows:
 
2    (750 ILCS 5/506)  (from Ch. 40, par. 506)
3    Sec. 506. Representation of child.
4    (a) Appointment Duties. In any proceedings involving the
5support, custody, visitation, allocation of parental
6responsibilities, education, parentage, property interest, or
7general welfare of a minor or dependent child, the court may,
8on its own motion or that of any party, appoint an attorney to
9serve in one of the following capacities to address the issues
10the court delineates:
11        (1) Attorney. The attorney shall provide independent
12    legal counsel for the child and shall owe the same duties
13    of undivided loyalty, confidentiality, and competent
14    representation as are due an adult client.
15        (2) Guardian ad litem qualifications. A guardian ad
16    litem must either be one of the following: .
17            (A) an attorney licensed in Illinois to practice
18        law; or
19            (B) a person who holds at a minimum a bachelor's
20        degree in psychology, psychiatry, social work,
21        education, or any other relevant child-related
22        discipline involving determining a child's best
23        interests.
24            (C) Duties of a guardian ad litem. The guardian ad
25        litem shall do the following:

 

 

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1                (i) investigate the facts of the case and
2            interview the child and the parties; .
3                (ii) unless Unless the court directs
4            otherwise, the guardian ad litem shall submit to
5            the court and the parties a written report,
6            written recommendations, or a proposed parenting
7            plan, in accordance with the child's best
8            interests, not less than 30 days before a final
9            hearing or trial. The guardian ad litem's written
10            report or written recommendations shall be
11            admitted into evidence without the need for
12            foundation. The guardian ad litem shall be
13            available for deposition before a final hearing or
14            trial notwithstanding any other discovery cutoff.
15            The guardian ad litem may be called as a witness
16            for purposes of cross-examination regarding the
17            guardian ad litem's report or recommendations. At
18            the discretion of the court, the guardian ad
19            litem:
20                (iii) unless (i) may be present for all
21            proceedings, including in camera examinations of
22            the child;
23                (iv) unless (ii) may issue subpoenas for
24            records as part of the guardian ad litem's
25            investigation; and
26                (v) unless (iii) may file pleadings relating

 

 

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1            to procedural matters.
2                (vi) meet with a child who has been exposed to
3            domestic violence in an age-appropriate manner for
4            at least an hour before the issuance of any
5            judicial decision affecting the parental rights of
6            the child; and
7                (vii) meet with the child for at least an hour
8            every 3 months and provide a written update to the
9            court at least every six months.
10            (D) Training of a guardian ad litem. A guardian
11        litem must receive training as ordered by the Supreme
12        Court of Illinois to ensure they have a fundamental
13        working knowledge of abuser tactics and its effects on
14        children in domestic violence cases.
15        (3) Child representative. The child representative
16    shall advocate what the child representative finds to be
17    in the best interests of the child after reviewing the
18    facts and circumstances of the case. The child
19    representative shall meet with the child and the parties,
20    investigate the facts of the case, and encourage
21    settlement and the use of alternative forms of dispute
22    resolution. The child representative shall have the same
23    authority and obligation to participate in the litigation
24    as does an attorney for a party and shall possess all the
25    powers of investigation as does a guardian ad litem. The
26    child representative shall consider, but not be bound by,

 

 

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1    the expressed wishes of the child. A child representative
2    shall have received training in child advocacy or shall
3    possess such experience as determined to be equivalent to
4    such training by the chief judge of the circuit where the
5    child representative has been appointed. The child
6    representative shall not disclose confidential
7    communications made by the child, except as required by
8    law or by the Rules of Professional Conduct. The child
9    representative shall not render an opinion,
10    recommendation, or report to the court and shall not be
11    called as a witness, but shall offer evidence-based legal
12    arguments. The child representative shall disclose the
13    position as to what the child representative intends to
14    advocate in a pre-trial memorandum that shall be served
15    upon all counsel of record prior to the trial. The
16    position disclosed in the pre-trial memorandum shall not
17    be considered evidence. The court and the parties may
18    consider the position of the child representative for
19    purposes of a settlement conference.
20    (a-3) Additional appointments. During the proceedings the
21court may appoint an additional attorney to serve in the
22capacity described in subdivision (a)(1) or an additional
23attorney to serve in another of the capacities described in
24subdivision (a)(2) or (a)(3) on the court's own motion or that
25of a party only for good cause shown and when the reasons for
26the additional appointment are set forth in specific findings.

 

 

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1    (a-5) Appointment considerations. In deciding whether to
2make an appointment of an attorney for the minor child, a
3guardian ad litem, or a child representative, the court shall
4consider the nature and adequacy of the evidence to be
5presented by the parties and the availability of other methods
6of obtaining information, including social service
7organizations and evaluations by mental health professions, as
8well as resources for payment.
9    In no event is this Section intended to or designed to
10abrogate the decision making power of the trier of fact. Any
11appointment made under this Section is not intended to nor
12should it serve to place any appointed individual in the role
13of a surrogate judge.
14    (b) Fees and costs. The court shall enter an order as
15appropriate for costs, fees, and disbursements, including a
16retainer, when the attorney, guardian ad litem, or child's
17representative is appointed. Any person appointed under this
18Section shall file with the court within 90 days of his or her
19appointment, and every subsequent 90-day period thereafter
20during the course of his or her representation, a detailed
21invoice for services rendered with a copy being sent to each
22party. The court shall review the invoice submitted and
23approve the fees, if they are reasonable and necessary. Any
24order approving the fees shall require payment by either or
25both parents, by any other party or source, or from the marital
26estate or the child's separate estate. The court may not order

 

 

HB5638- 21 -LRB103 37439 JRC 67561 b

1payment by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services in
2cases in which the Department is providing child support
3enforcement services under Article X of the Illinois Public
4Aid Code. Unless otherwise ordered by the court at the time
5fees and costs are approved, all fees and costs payable to an
6attorney, guardian ad litem, or child representative under
7this Section are by implication deemed to be in the nature of
8support of the child and are within the exceptions to
9discharge in bankruptcy under 11 U.S.C.A. 523. The provisions
10of Sections 501 and 508 of this Act shall apply to fees and
11costs for attorneys appointed under this Section.
12(Source: P.A. 103-126, eff. 1-1-24.)