State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
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[ Introduced ][ Senate Amendment 001 ]

90_SB1557eng

      750 ILCS 50/18            from Ch. 40, par. 1522
          Amends the Adoption Act.  Makes stylistic  changes  in  a
      Section concerning confidentiality of court records.
                                                     LRB9010459DJcd
SB1557 Engrossed                               LRB9010459DJcd
 1        AN ACT to amend the Adoption Act by changing Section 8.
 2        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:
 4        Section 5.  The  Adoption  Act  is  amended  by  changing
 5    Section 8 as follows:
 6        (750 ILCS 50/8) (from Ch. 40, par. 1510)
 7        Sec. 8.  Consents to adoption and surrenders for purposes
 8    of adoption.
 9        (a)  Except  as  hereinafter  provided  in  this  Section
10    consents or surrenders shall be required in all cases, unless
11    the  person  whose  consent  or  surrender would otherwise be
12    required shall be found by the court:
13             (1)  to be an unfit person as defined in  Section  1
14        of this Act, by clear and convincing evidence; or
15             (2)  not  to be the biological or adoptive father of
16        the child; or
17             (3)  to have waived his parental rights to the child
18        under Section 12a or 12.1 of this Act; or
19             (4)  to be the parent  of  an  adult  sought  to  be
20        adopted; or
21             (5)  to  be  the  father of the child as a result of
22        criminal sexual abuse or assault as defined under Article
23        12 of the Criminal Code of 1961.
24        (b)  Where consents  are  required  in  the  case  of  an
25    adoption  of  a  minor  child,  the consents of the following
26    persons shall be sufficient:
27             (1) (A)  The mother of the minor child; and
28             (B)  The father of the minor child, if the father:
29                  (i)  was married to the mother on the  date  of
30             birth  of  the  child  or within 300 days before the
31             birth of the child, except for a husband  or  former
SB1557 Engrossed            -2-                LRB9010459DJcd
 1             husband  who  has been found by a court of competent
 2             jurisdiction not to be the biological father of  the
 3             child; or
 4                  (ii)  is  the  father  of  the  child  under  a
 5             judgment  for adoption, an order of parentage, or an
 6             acknowledgment of parentage or paternity pursuant to
 7             subsection  (a)  of  Section  5  of   the   Illinois
 8             Parentage Act of 1984; or
 9                  (iii)  in  the  case of a child placed with the
10             adopting parents less than  6  months  after  birth,
11             openly  lived with the child, the child's biological
12             mother, or both, and held  himself  out  to  be  the
13             child's  biological  father during the first 30 days
14             following the birth of the child; or
15                  (iv)  in the case of a child  placed  with  the
16             adopting  parents  less  than  6 months after birth,
17             made a good faith effort to pay a reasonable  amount
18             of  the  expenses  related to the birth of the child
19             and to provide a reasonable amount for the financial
20             support of the child before  the  expiration  of  30
21             days following the birth of the child, provided that
22             the  court  may  consider  in  its determination all
23             relevant  circumstances,  including  the   financial
24             condition of both biological parents; or
25                  (v)  in  the  case  of  a child placed with the
26             adopting parents more than 6 months after birth, has
27             maintained substantial and  continuous  or  repeated
28             contact  with  the  child  as manifested by: (I) the
29             payment by the father  toward  the  support  of  the
30             child of a fair and reasonable sum, according to the
31             father's   means,   and  either  (II)  the  father's
32             visiting the child at least monthly when  physically
33             and financially able to do so and not prevented from
34             doing  so  by the person or authorized agency having
SB1557 Engrossed            -3-                LRB9010459DJcd
 1             lawful custody of the child, or (III)  the  father's
 2             regular  communication  with  the  child or with the
 3             person or agency having the care or custody  of  the
 4             child,  when  physically  and  financially unable to
 5             visit the child or prevented from doing  so  by  the
 6             person or authorized agency having lawful custody of
 7             the  child.   The  subjective  intent of the father,
 8             whether  expressed  or  otherwise   unsupported   by
 9             evidence  of acts specified in this sub-paragraph as
10             manifesting  such  intent,  shall  not  preclude   a
11             determination  that  the  father  failed to maintain
12             substantial and continuous or repeated contact  with
13             the child; or
14                  (vi)  in  the  case  of a child placed with the
15             adopting parents more than six months  after  birth,
16             openly  lived  with  the  child  for a period of six
17             months  within  the  one  year  period   immediately
18             preceding  the  placement  of the child for adoption
19             and openly held himself out to be the father of  the
20             child; or
21                  (vii)  has  timely registered with the Putative
22             Father Registry, as provided in Section 12.1 of this
23             Act, and prior to the expiration of the time  limits
24             for registering under subsection (b) of that Section
25             30   days   from  the  date  of  such  registration,
26             commenced legal proceedings to  establish  paternity
27             under  the  Illinois  Parentage Act of 1984 or under
28             the law of the jurisdiction of the child's birth; or
29             (2)  The legal guardian of the person of the  child,
30        if there is no surviving parent; or
31             (3)  An  agency,  if  the child has been surrendered
32        for adoption to such agency; or
33             (4)  Any person or agency having legal custody of  a
34        child  by  court  order  if  the  parental  rights of the
SB1557 Engrossed            -4-                LRB9010459DJcd
 1        parents have been judicially terminated,  and  the  court
 2        having  jurisdiction of the guardianship of the child has
 3        authorized the consent to the adoption; or
 4             (5)  The execution and verification of the  petition
 5        by  any  petitioner  who  is  also  a parent of the child
 6        sought to be adopted shall be sufficient evidence of such
 7        parent's consent to the adoption.
 8        (c)  Where surrenders to an agency are  required  in  the
 9    case  of  a  placement  for  adoption  of a minor child by an
10    agency, the surrenders of  the  following  persons  shall  be
11    sufficient:
12             (1) (A)  The mother of the minor child; and
13             (B)  The father of the minor child, if the father;
14                  (i)  was  married  to the mother on the date of
15             birth of the child or within  300  days  before  the
16             birth  of  the child, except for a husband or former
17             husband who has been found by a court  of  competent
18             jurisdiction  not to be the biological father of the
19             child; or
20                  (ii)  is  the  father  of  the  child  under  a
21             judgment for adoption, an order of parentage, or  an
22             acknowledgment of parentage or paternity pursuant to
23             subsection   (a)   of  Section  5  of  the  Illinois
24             Parentage Act of 1984; or
25                  (iii)  in the case of a child placed  with  the
26             adopting  parents  less  than  6 months after birth,
27             openly lived with the child, the child's  biological
28             mother,  or  both,  and  held  himself out to be the
29             child's biological father during the first  30  days
30             following the birth of a child; or
31                  (iv)  in  the  case  of a child placed with the
32             adopting parents less than  6  months  after  birth,
33             made  a good faith effort to pay a reasonable amount
34             of the expenses related to the birth  of  the  child
SB1557 Engrossed            -5-                LRB9010459DJcd
 1             and to provide a reasonable amount for the financial
 2             support  of  the  child  before the expiration of 30
 3             days following the birth of the child, provided that
 4             the court may  consider  in  its  determination  all
 5             relevant   circumstances,  including  the  financial
 6             condition of both biological parents; or
 7                  (v)  in the case of a  child  placed  with  the
 8             adopting  parents  more than six months after birth,
 9             has  maintained  substantial   and   continuous   or
10             repeated  contact  with  the child as manifested by:
11             (I) the payment by the father toward the support  of
12             the child of a fair and reasonable sum, according to
13             the  father's  means,  and  either (II) the father's
14             visiting the child at least monthly when  physically
15             and financially able to do so and not prevented from
16             doing  so  by the person or authorized agency having
17             lawful custody of the child or  (III)  the  father's
18             regular  communication  with  the  child or with the
19             person or agency having the care or custody  of  the
20             child,  when  physically  and  financially unable to
21             visit the child or prevented from doing  so  by  the
22             person or authorized agency having lawful custody of
23             the  child.   The  subjective  intent of the father,
24             whether  expressed  or  otherwise,  unsupported   by
25             evidence  of acts specified in this sub-paragraph as
26             manifesting  such  intent,  shall  not  preclude   a
27             determination  that  the  father  failed to maintain
28             substantial and continuous or repeated contact  with
29             the child; or
30                  (vi)  in  the  case  of a child placed with the
31             adopting parents more than six months  after  birth,
32             openly  lived  with  the  child  for a period of six
33             months  within  the  one  year  period   immediately
34             preceding  the  placement  of the child for adoption
SB1557 Engrossed            -6-                LRB9010459DJcd
 1             and openly held himself out to be the father of  the
 2             child; or
 3                  (vii)  has  timely registered with the Putative
 4             Father Registry, as provided in Section 12.1 of this
 5             Act, and prior to the expiration of the time  limits
 6             for registering under subsection (b) of that Section
 7             30   days   from  the  date  of  such  registration,
 8             commenced legal proceedings to  establish  paternity
 9             under  the  Illinois Parentage Act of 1984, or under
10             the law of the jurisdiction of the child's birth.
11        (d)  In making a determination  under  subparagraphs  (b)
12    (1)  and  (c)  (1),  no showing shall be required of diligent
13    efforts by a person or agency  to  encourage  the  father  to
14    perform the acts specified therein.
15        (e)  In  the  case  of the adoption of an adult, only the
16    consent of such adult shall be required.
17    (Source: P.A.  89-315,  eff.  1-1-96;  89-641,  eff.  8-9-96;
18    90-15, eff. 6-13-97.)
19        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
20    becoming law.

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