99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
HB1414

 

Introduced , by Rep. John D. Cavaletto

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
750 ILCS 5/607  from Ch. 40, par. 607

    Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Provides that a grandparent may file a petition for reasonable visitation rights to a minor child living in a dual-parent household if there is an unreasonable denial of visitation by a parent and the grandparent has maintained a significant beneficial relationship with the child for a period of 12 months or more immediately preceding the severance of that relationship by the parent. Provides that the relationship must have been unreasonably severed by the parent or parents for reasons other than abuse or presence of a danger of substantial harm to the child. Provides that a presumption of a significant beneficial relationship arises when: (A) the child resided with the petitioner grandparent for at least 6 consecutive months with or without the current custodian present during the 12-month period; (B) the petitioner grandparent had frequent or regular contact or visitation with the child throughout the 12-month period; or (C) the petitioner grandparent was the primary caretaker of the child for a period or not less than 6 consecutive months within the 12-month period.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB1414LRB099 03641 HEP 23649 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 Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of
5Marriage 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
9to reasonable visitation rights unless the court finds, after a
10hearing, that visitation would endanger seriously the child's
11physical, mental, moral or emotional health. If the custodian's
12street address is not identified, pursuant to Section 708, the
13court shall require the parties to identify reasonable
14alternative arrangements for visitation by a non-custodial
15parent, including but not limited to visitation of the minor
16child at the residence of another person or at a local public
17or private facility.
18        (1) "Visitation" means in-person time spent between a
19    child and the child's parent. In appropriate
20    circumstances, it may include electronic communication
21    under conditions and at times determined by the court.
22        (2) "Electronic communication" means time that a
23    parent spends with his or her child during which the child

 

 

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1    is not in the parent's actual physical custody, but which
2    is facilitated by the use of communication tools such as
3    the telephone, electronic mail, instant messaging, video
4    conferencing or other wired or wireless technologies via
5    the Internet, or another medium of communication.
6    (a-3) Grandparents, great-grandparents, and siblings of a
7minor child, who is one year old or older, have standing to
8bring an action in circuit court by petition, requesting
9visitation in accordance with this Section. The term "sibling"
10in this Section means a brother, sister, stepbrother, or
11stepsister of the minor child. Grandparents,
12great-grandparents, and siblings also have standing to file a
13petition for visitation and any electronic communication
14rights in a pending dissolution proceeding or any other
15proceeding that involves custody or visitation issues,
16requesting visitation in accordance with this Section. A
17petition for visitation with a child by a person other than a
18parent must be filed in the county in which the child resides.
19Nothing in this subsection (a-3) and subsection (a-5) of this
20Section shall apply to a child in whose interests a petition is
21pending under Section 2-13 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 or
22a petition to adopt an unrelated child is pending under the
23Adoption Act.
24    (a-5)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection
25(a-5), any grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling may file
26a petition for visitation rights to a minor child if there is

 

 

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1an unreasonable denial of visitation by a parent and at least
2one of the following conditions exists:
3        (A) (Blank);
4        (A-5) the child's other parent is deceased or has been
5    missing for at least 3 months. For the purposes of this
6    Section a parent is considered to be missing if the
7    parent's location has not been determined and the parent
8    has been reported as missing to a law enforcement agency;
9        (A-10) a parent of the child is incompetent as a matter
10    of law;
11        (A-15) a parent has been incarcerated in jail or prison
12    during the 3 month period preceding the filing of the
13    petition;
14        (B) the child's mother and father are divorced or have
15    been legally separated from each other or there is pending
16    a dissolution proceeding involving a parent of the child or
17    another court proceeding involving custody or visitation
18    of the child (other than any adoption proceeding of an
19    unrelated child) and at least one parent does not object to
20    the grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling having
21    visitation with the child. The visitation of the
22    grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling must not
23    diminish the visitation of the parent who is not related to
24    the grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling seeking
25    visitation;
26        (C) (Blank);

 

 

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1        (D) the child is born out of wedlock, the parents are
2    not living together, and the petitioner is a maternal
3    grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the child
4    born out of wedlock; or
5        (E) the child is born out of wedlock, the parents are
6    not living together, the petitioner is a paternal
7    grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling, and the
8    paternity has been established by a court of competent
9    jurisdiction.
10    (1.5) A grandparent may file a petition for reasonable
11visitation rights to a minor child living in a dual-parent
12household if there is an unreasonable denial of visitation by a
13parent and the grandparent has maintained a significant
14beneficial relationship with the child for a period of 12
15months or more immediately preceding the severance of that
16relationship by the parent. The relationship must have been
17unreasonably severed by the parent or parents for reasons other
18than abuse or presence of a danger of substantial harm to the
19child. A presumption of a significant beneficial relationship
20arises when:
21        (A) the child resided with the petitioner grandparent
22    for at least 6 consecutive months with or without the
23    current custodian present during the 12-month period;
24        (B) the petitioner grandparent had frequent or regular
25    contact or visitation with the child throughout the
26    12-month period; or

 

 

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1        (C) the petitioner grandparent was the primary
2    caretaker of the child for a period or not less than 6
3    consecutive months within the 12-month period.
4    (2) Any visitation rights granted pursuant to this Section
5before the filing of a petition for adoption of a child shall
6automatically terminate by operation of law upon the entry of
7an order terminating parental rights or granting the adoption
8of the child, whichever is earlier. If the person or persons
9who adopted the child are related to the child, as defined by
10Section 1 of the Adoption Act, any person who was related to
11the child as grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling prior
12to the adoption shall have standing to bring an action pursuant
13to this Section requesting visitation with the child.
14    (3) In making a determination under this subsection (a-5),
15there is a rebuttable presumption that a fit parent's actions
16and decisions regarding grandparent, great-grandparent, or
17sibling visitation are not harmful to the child's mental,
18physical, or emotional health. The burden is on the party
19filing a petition under this Section to prove that the parent's
20actions and decisions regarding visitation times are harmful to
21the child's mental, physical, or emotional health.
22    (4) In determining whether to grant visitation, the court
23shall consider the following:
24        (A) the preference of the child if the child is
25    determined to be of sufficient maturity to express a
26    preference;

 

 

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1        (B) the mental and physical health of the child;
2        (C) the mental and physical health of the grandparent,
3    great-grandparent, or sibling;
4        (D) the length and quality of the prior relationship
5    between the child and the grandparent, great-grandparent,
6    or sibling;
7        (E) the good faith of the party in filing the petition;
8        (F) the good faith of the person denying visitation;
9        (G) the quantity of the visitation time requested and
10    the potential adverse impact that visitation would have on
11    the child's customary activities;
12        (H) whether the child resided with the petitioner for
13    at least 6 consecutive months with or without the current
14    custodian present;
15        (I) whether the petitioner had frequent or regular
16    contact or visitation with the child for at least 12
17    consecutive months;
18        (J) any other fact that establishes that the loss of
19    the relationship between the petitioner and the child is
20    likely to harm the child's mental, physical, or emotional
21    health; and
22        (K) whether the grandparent, great-grandparent, or
23    sibling was a primary caretaker of the child for a period
24    of not less than 6 consecutive months.
25    (5) The court may order visitation rights for the
26grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling that include

 

 

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1reasonable access without requiring overnight or possessory
2visitation.
3    (a-7)(1) Unless by stipulation of the parties, no motion to
4modify a grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling visitation
5order may be made earlier than 2 years after the date the order
6was filed, unless the court permits it to be made on the basis
7of affidavits that there is reason to believe the child's
8present environment may endanger seriously the child's mental,
9physical, or emotional health.
10    (2) The court shall not modify an order that grants
11visitation to a grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling
12unless it finds by clear and convincing evidence, upon the
13basis of facts that have arisen since the prior visitation
14order or that were unknown to the court at the time of entry of
15the prior visitation, that a change has occurred in the
16circumstances of the child or his or her custodian, and that
17the modification is necessary to protect the mental, physical,
18or emotional health of the child. The court shall state in its
19decision specific findings of fact in support of its
20modification or termination of the grandparent,
21great-grandparent, or sibling visitation. A child's parent may
22always petition to modify visitation upon changed
23circumstances when necessary to promote the child's best
24interest.
25    (3) Attorney fees and costs shall be assessed against a
26party seeking modification of the visitation order if the court

 

 

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1finds that the modification action is vexatious and constitutes
2harassment.
3    (4) Notice under this subsection (a-7) shall be given as
4provided in subsections (c) and (d) of Section 601.
5    (b) (1) (Blank.)
6    (1.5) The Court may grant reasonable visitation privileges
7to a stepparent upon petition to the court by the stepparent,
8with notice to the parties required to be notified under
9Section 601 of this Act, if the court determines that it is in
10the best interests and welfare of the child, and may issue any
11necessary orders to enforce those visitation privileges. A
12petition for visitation privileges may be filed under this
13paragraph (1.5) whether or not a petition pursuant to this Act
14has been previously filed or is currently pending if the
15following circumstances are met:
16        (A) the child is at least 12 years old;
17        (B) the child resided continuously with the parent and
18    stepparent for at least 5 years;
19        (C) the parent is deceased or is disabled and is unable
20    to care for the child;
21        (D) the child wishes to have reasonable visitation with
22    the stepparent; and
23        (E) the stepparent was providing for the care, control,
24    and welfare to the child prior to the initiation of the
25    petition for visitation.
26    (2)(A) A petition for visitation privileges shall not be

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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1    facilitate contact between the child and the child's
2    non-custodial parent, the visitation privileges granted
3    under this order shall be permanently revoked."
4    (e) No parent, not granted custody of the child, or
5grandparent, or great-grandparent, or stepparent, or sibling
6of any minor child, convicted of any offense involving an
7illegal sex act perpetrated upon a victim less than 18 years of
8age including but not limited to offenses for violations of
9Section 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-1.50, 11-1.60, 11-1.70,
10or Article 12 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code
11of 2012, is entitled to visitation rights while incarcerated or
12while on parole, probation, conditional discharge, periodic
13imprisonment, or mandatory supervised release for that
14offense, and upon discharge from incarceration for a
15misdemeanor offense or upon discharge from parole, probation,
16conditional discharge, periodic imprisonment, or mandatory
17supervised release for a felony offense, visitation shall be
18denied until the person successfully completes a treatment
19program approved by the court.
20    (f) Unless the court determines, after considering all
21relevant factors, including but not limited to those set forth
22in Section 602(a), that it would be in the best interests of
23the child to allow visitation, the court shall not enter an
24order providing visitation rights and pursuant to a motion to
25modify visitation shall revoke visitation rights previously
26granted to any person who would otherwise be entitled to

 

 

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1petition for visitation rights under this Section who has been
2convicted of first degree murder of the parent, grandparent,
3great-grandparent, or sibling of the child who is the subject
4of the order. Until an order is entered pursuant to this
5subsection, no person shall visit, with the child present, a
6person who has been convicted of first degree murder of the
7parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the
8child without the consent of the child's parent, other than a
9parent convicted of first degree murder as set forth herein, or
10legal guardian.
11    (g) (Blank).
12    (h) Upon motion, the court may allow a parent who is
13deployed or who has orders to be deployed as a member of the
14United States Armed Forces to designate a person known to the
15child to exercise reasonable substitute visitation on behalf of
16the deployed parent, if the court determines that substitute
17visitation is in the best interest of the child. In determining
18whether substitute visitation is in the best interest of the
19child, the court shall consider all of the relevant factors
20listed in subsection (a) of Section 602 and apply those factors
21to the person designated as a substitute for the deployed
22parent for visitation purposes.
23(Source: P.A. 96-331, eff. 1-1-10; 97-659, eff. 6-1-12;
2497-1150, eff. 1-25-13.)