Sen. John J. Cullerton

Filed: 5/2/2005

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 394

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 394 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) If a minor child is the subject of a petition under
19 Section 2-13 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, any petition
20 for visitation must be filed in the court in which the petition
21 under Section 2-13 is pending. Nothing in subsection (a-5) of
22 this Section shall apply to a child in whose interests a
23 petition under Section 2-13 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987
24 is pending.

 

 

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1     (a-5)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection
2 (a-5), any grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the
3 child may file a petition for visitation rights to a minor
4 child if there is an unreasonable denial of visitation by a
5 parent and at least one of the following conditions exists:
6         (A) one parent of the child is incompetent as a matter
7     of law or deceased or has been sentenced to a period of
8     imprisonment for more than 1 year;
9         (B) the child's mother and father are divorced or have
10     been legally separated from each other during the 3 month
11     period prior to the filing of the petition and at least one
12     parent does not object to the grandparent,
13     great-grandparent, or sibling of the child having
14     visitation with the child. The visitation of the
15     grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the child
16     must not diminish the visitation of the parent who is not
17     related to the grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling
18     of the child seeking visitation;
19         (C) the court, other than a Juvenile Court, has
20     terminated a parent-child relationship and the
21     grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the child is
22     the parent, grandparent, or child of the person whose
23     parental rights have been terminated, except in cases of
24     adoption. The visitation must not be used to allow the
25     parent who lost parental rights to unlawfully visit with
26     the child;
27         (D) the child is born out of wedlock illegitimate, the
28     parents are not living together, and the petitioner is a
29     maternal grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the
30     born out of wedlock illegitimate child; or
31         (E) the child is born out of wedlock illegitimate, the
32     parents are not living together, the petitioner is a
33     paternal grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling, and
34     the paternity has been established by a court of competent

 

 

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1     jurisdiction.
2     (2) Post-adoption visitation rights for the biological
3 grandparents or great-grandparents of an adoptee may be granted
4 if the adoptee is adopted by: (A) the adoptee's stepparent,
5 grandparent, grandmother, brother, half-brother, sister,
6 half-sister, aunt, or uncle; or (B) a person listed in item (A)
7 and that person's spouse. The visitation rights may be
8 maintained or granted at the discretion of the court at any
9 time before or after the entry of the final order of adoption
10 upon petition by the biological grandparents or
11 great-grandparents. The grandparent, great-grandparent, or
12 sibling of a parent whose parental rights have been terminated
13 through an adoption proceeding may not petition for visitation
14 rights.
15     (3) In making a determination under this subsection (a-5),
16 there is a rebuttable presumption that a fit parent's actions
17 and decisions regarding grandparent, great-grandparent, or
18 sibling visitation are not harmful to the child's mental,
19 physical, or emotional health. The burden is on the party
20 filing a petition under this Section to prove that the parent's
21 actions and decisions regarding visitation times are harmful to
22 the child's mental, physical, or emotional health.
23     (4) In determining whether to grant visitation, the court
24 shall consider the following:
25         (A) the preference of the child if the child is
26     determined to be of sufficient maturity to express a
27     preference;
28         (B) the mental and physical health of the child;
29         (C) the mental and physical health of the grandparent,
30     great-grandparent, or sibling;
31         (D) the length and quality of the prior relationship
32     between the child and the grandparent, great-grandparent,
33     or sibling;
34         (E) the good faith of the party in filing the petition;

 

 

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1         (F) the good faith of the person denying visitation;
2         (G) the quantity of the visitation time requested and
3     the potential adverse impact that visitation would have on
4     the child's customary activities;
5         (H) whether the child resided with the petitioner for
6     at least 6 consecutive months with or without the current
7     custodian present;
8         (I) whether the petitioner had frequent or regular
9     contact with the child for at least 12 consecutive months;
10     and
11         (J) any other fact that establishes that the loss of
12     the relationship between the petitioner and the child is
13     likely to harm the child's mental, physical, or emotional
14     health.
15     (5) The court may order visitation rights for the
16 grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling that include
17 reasonable access without requiring overnight or possessory
18 visitation.
19     (a-7)(1) A court may modify an order or judgment granting,
20 denying, limiting, or restricting the visitation rights of a
21 grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of a minor child if
22 the moving party proves by clear and convincing evidence that a
23 change has occurred in the circumstances of the child or the
24 child's custodian and that the modification is necessary to
25 protect the mental, physical, or emotional health of the child.
26 The change in circumstances shall be based upon facts occurring
27 after the court's visitation order or judgment or upon facts
28 that were unknown to the court at the time of the prior
29 visitation order or judgment. Unless by stipulation of the
30 parties, no motion to modify a grandparent, great-grandparent,
31 or sibling visitation order may be made earlier than 2 years
32 after the date the order was filed, unless the court permits it
33 to be made on the basis of affidavits that there is reason to
34 believe the child's present environment may endanger seriously

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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1 non-custodial parent of a child from any contact with a child
2 or restricting the non-custodial parent's contact with the
3 child, the following provisions shall apply:
4         (1) If an order has been entered granting visitation
5     privileges with the child to a grandparent or
6     great-grandparent who is related to the child through the
7     non-custodial parent, the visitation privileges of the
8     grandparent or great-grandparent may be revoked if:
9             (i) a court has entered an order prohibiting the
10         non-custodial parent from any contact with the child,
11         and the grandparent or great-grandparent is found to
12         have used his or her visitation privileges to
13         facilitate contact between the child and the
14         non-custodial parent; or
15             (ii) a court has entered an order restricting the
16         non-custodial parent's contact with the child, and the
17         grandparent or great-grandparent is found to have used
18         his or her visitation privileges to facilitate contact
19         between the child and the non-custodial parent in a
20         manner that violates the terms of the order restricting
21         the non-custodial parent's contact with the child.
22         Nothing in this subdivision (1) limits the authority of
23     the court to enforce its orders in any manner permitted by
24     law.
25         (2) Any order granting visitation privileges with the
26     child to a grandparent or great-grandparent who is related
27     to the child through the non-custodial parent shall contain
28     the following provision:
29         "If the (grandparent or great-grandparent, whichever
30     is applicable) who has been granted visitation privileges
31     under this order uses the visitation privileges to
32     facilitate contact between the child and the child's
33     non-custodial parent, the visitation privileges granted
34     under this order shall be permanently revoked."

 

 

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1     (e) No parent, not granted custody of the child, or
2 grandparent, or great-grandparent, or stepparent, or sibling
3 of any minor child, convicted of any offense involving an
4 illegal sex act perpetrated upon a victim less than 18 years of
5 age including but not limited to offenses for violations of
6 Article 12 of the Criminal Code of 1961, is entitled to
7 visitation rights while incarcerated or while on parole,
8 probation, conditional discharge, periodic imprisonment, or
9 mandatory supervised release for that offense, and upon
10 discharge from incarceration for a misdemeanor offense or upon
11 discharge from parole, probation, conditional discharge,
12 periodic imprisonment, or mandatory supervised release for a
13 felony offense, visitation shall be denied until the person
14 successfully completes a treatment program approved by the
15 court.
16     (f) Unless the court determines, after considering all
17 relevant factors, including but not limited to those set forth
18 in Section 602(a), that it would be in the best interests of
19 the child to allow visitation, the court shall not enter an
20 order providing visitation rights and pursuant to a motion to
21 modify visitation shall revoke visitation rights previously
22 granted to any person who would otherwise be entitled to
23 petition for visitation rights under this Section who has been
24 convicted of first degree murder of the parent, grandparent,
25 great-grandparent, or sibling of the child who is the subject
26 of the order. Until an order is entered pursuant to this
27 subsection, no person shall visit, with the child present, a
28 person who has been convicted of first degree murder of the
29 parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the
30 child without the consent of the child's parent, other than a
31 parent convicted of first degree murder as set forth herein, or
32 legal guardian.
33     (g) (Blank). If an order has been entered limiting, for
34 cause, a minor child's contact or visitation with a

 

 

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1 grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling on the grounds that
2 it was in the best interest of the child to do so, that order
3 may be modified only upon a showing of a substantial change in
4 circumstances occurring subsequent to the entry of the order
5 with proof by clear and convincing evidence that modification
6 is in the best interest of the minor child.
7 (Source: P.A. 93-911, eff. 1-1-05.)
 
8     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
9 becoming law.".