HB0394 Engrossed LRB094 05626 LCB 35675 b

1     AN ACT concerning visitation.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
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) Nothing in subsection (a-5) of this Section shall
19 apply to a child in whose interests a petition under Section
20 2-13 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 is pending.
21     (a-5)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection
22 (a-5), any grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the
23 child may file a petition for visitation rights to a minor
24 child if there is an unreasonable denial of visitation by a
25 parent and at least one of the following conditions exists:
26         (A) one parent of the child is incompetent as a matter
27     of law or deceased or has been sentenced to a period of
28     imprisonment for more than 1 year;
29         (B) the child's mother and father are divorced or have
30     been legally separated from each other during the 3 month
31     period prior to the filing of the petition and at least one
32     parent does not object to the grandparent,

 

 

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1     great-grandparent, or sibling of the child having
2     visitation with the child. The visitation of the
3     grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the child
4     must not diminish the visitation of the parent who is not
5     related to the grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling
6     of the child seeking visitation;
7         (C) the court, other than a Juvenile Court, has
8     terminated a parent-child relationship and the
9     grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the child is
10     the parent, grandparent, or child of the person whose
11     parental rights have been terminated, except in cases of
12     adoption. The visitation must not be used to allow the
13     parent who lost parental rights to unlawfully visit with
14     the child;
15         (D) the child is born out of wedlock illegitimate, the
16     parents are not living together, and the petitioner is a
17     maternal grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the
18     born out of wedlock illegitimate child; or
19         (E) the child is born out of wedlock illegitimate, the
20     parents are not living together, the petitioner is a
21     paternal grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling, and
22     the paternity has been established by a court of competent
23     jurisdiction.
24     (2) The parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, or child
25 sibling of a parent whose parental rights have been terminated
26 through an adoption proceeding may not petition for visitation
27 rights.
28     (3) In making a determination under this subsection (a-5),
29 there is a rebuttable presumption that a fit parent's actions
30 and decisions regarding grandparent, great-grandparent, or
31 sibling visitation are not harmful to the child's mental,
32 physical, or emotional health. The burden is on the party
33 filing a petition under this Section to prove that the parent's
34 actions and decisions regarding visitation times are harmful to
35 the child's mental, physical, or emotional health.
36     (4) In determining whether to grant visitation, the court

 

 

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1 shall consider the following:
2         (A) the preference of the child if the child is
3     determined to be of sufficient maturity to express a
4     preference;
5         (B) the mental and physical health of the child;
6         (C) the mental and physical health of the grandparent,
7     great-grandparent, or sibling;
8         (D) the length and quality of the prior relationship
9     between the child and the grandparent, great-grandparent,
10     or sibling;
11         (E) the good faith of the party in filing the petition;
12         (F) the good faith of the person denying visitation;
13         (G) the quantity of the visitation time requested and
14     the potential adverse impact that visitation would have on
15     the child's customary activities;
16         (H) whether the child resided with the petitioner for
17     at least 6 consecutive months with or without the current
18     custodian present;
19         (I) whether the petitioner had frequent or regular
20     contact with the child for at least 12 consecutive months;
21     and
22         (J) any other fact that establishes that the loss of
23     the relationship between the petitioner and the child is
24     likely to harm the child's mental, physical, or emotional
25     health.
26     (5) The court may order visitation rights for the
27 grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling that include
28 reasonable access without requiring overnight or possessory
29 visitation.
30     (a-7)(1) Unless by stipulation of the parties, no motion to
31 modify a grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling visitation
32 order may be made earlier than 2 years after the date the order
33 was filed, unless the court permits it to be made on the basis
34 of affidavits that there is reason to believe the child's
35 present environment may endanger seriously the child's mental,
36 physical, or emotional health.

 

 

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1     (2) The court shall not modify a prior grandparent,
2 great-grandparent, or sibling visitation order unless it finds
3 by clear and convincing evidence, upon the basis of facts that
4 have arisen since the prior visitation order or that were
5 unknown to the court at the time of entry of the prior
6 visitation, that a change has occurred in the circumstances of
7 the child or his or her custodian, and that the modification is
8 necessary to protect the mental, physical, or emotional health
9 of the child. The court shall state in its decision specific
10 findings of fact in support of its modification or termination
11 of the grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling visitation.
12     (3) Attorney fees and costs shall be assessed against a
13 party seeking modification of the visitation order if the court
14 finds that the modification action is vexatious and constitutes
15 harassment.
16     (4) Notice under this subsection (a-7) shall be given as
17 provided in subsections (c) and (d) of Section 601.
18     (b) (1) (Blank.)
19     (1.5) The Court may grant reasonable visitation privileges
20 to a stepparent upon petition to the court by the stepparent,
21 with notice to the parties required to be notified under
22 Section 601 of this Act, if the court determines that it is in
23 the best interests and welfare of the child, and may issue any
24 necessary orders to enforce those visitation privileges. A
25 petition for visitation privileges may be filed under this
26 paragraph (1.5) whether or not a petition pursuant to this Act
27 has been previously filed or is currently pending if the
28 following circumstances are met:
29         (A) the child is at least 12 years old;
30         (B) the child resided continuously with the parent and
31     stepparent for at least 5 years;
32         (C) the parent is deceased or is disabled and is unable
33     to care for the child;
34         (D) the child wishes to have reasonable visitation with
35     the stepparent; and
36         (E) the stepparent was providing for the care, control,

 

 

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1     and welfare to the child prior to the initiation of the
2     petition for visitation.
3     (2)(A) A petition for visitation privileges shall not be
4 filed pursuant to this subsection (b) by the parents or
5 grandparents of a putative father if the paternity of the
6 putative father has not been legally established.
7     (B) A petition for visitation privileges may not be filed
8 under this subsection (b) if the child who is the subject of
9 the grandparents' or great-grandparents' petition has been
10 voluntarily surrendered by the parent or parents, except for a
11 surrender to the Illinois Department of Children and Family
12 Services or a foster care facility, or has been previously
13 adopted by an individual or individuals who are not related to
14 the biological parents of the child or is the subject of a
15 pending adoption petition by an individual or individuals who
16 are not related to the biological parents of the child.
17     (3) (Blank).
18     (c) The court may modify an order granting or denying
19 visitation rights of a parent whenever modification would serve
20 the best interest of the child; but the court shall not
21 restrict a parent's visitation rights unless it finds that the
22 visitation would endanger seriously the child's physical,
23 mental, moral or emotional health. The court may modify an
24 order granting, denying, or limiting visitation rights of a
25 grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of any minor child
26 whenever a change of circumstances has occurred based on facts
27 occurring subsequent to the judgment and the court finds by
28 clear and convincing evidence that the modification is in the
29 best interest of the minor child.
30     (d) If any court has entered an order prohibiting a
31 non-custodial parent of a child from any contact with a child
32 or restricting the non-custodial parent's contact with the
33 child, the following provisions shall apply:
34         (1) If an order has been entered granting visitation
35     privileges with the child to a grandparent or
36     great-grandparent who is related to the child through the

 

 

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

 

 

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1 mandatory supervised release for that offense, and upon
2 discharge from incarceration for a misdemeanor offense or upon
3 discharge from parole, probation, conditional discharge,
4 periodic imprisonment, or mandatory supervised release for a
5 felony offense, visitation shall be denied until the person
6 successfully completes a treatment program approved by the
7 court.
8     (f) Unless the court determines, after considering all
9 relevant factors, including but not limited to those set forth
10 in Section 602(a), that it would be in the best interests of
11 the child to allow visitation, the court shall not enter an
12 order providing visitation rights and pursuant to a motion to
13 modify visitation shall revoke visitation rights previously
14 granted to any person who would otherwise be entitled to
15 petition for visitation rights under this Section who has been
16 convicted of first degree murder of the parent, grandparent,
17 great-grandparent, or sibling of the child who is the subject
18 of the order. Until an order is entered pursuant to this
19 subsection, no person shall visit, with the child present, a
20 person who has been convicted of first degree murder of the
21 parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the
22 child without the consent of the child's parent, other than a
23 parent convicted of first degree murder as set forth herein, or
24 legal guardian.
25     (g) (Blank). If an order has been entered limiting, for
26 cause, a minor child's contact or visitation with a
27 grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling on the grounds that
28 it was in the best interest of the child to do so, that order
29 may be modified only upon a showing of a substantial change in
30 circumstances occurring subsequent to the entry of the order
31 with proof by clear and convincing evidence that modification
32 is in the best interest of the minor child.
33 (Source: P.A. 93-911, eff. 1-1-05.)
 
34     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
35 becoming law.