State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
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91_SB0654

 
                                              LRB9100013SMdvA

 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
 
                            -2-               LRB9100013SMdvA
 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
 
                            -3-               LRB9100013SMdvA
 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 limit
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
 
                            -4-               LRB9100013SMdvA
 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
 
                            -5-               LRB9100013SMdvA
 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
 
                            -6-               LRB9100013SMdvA
 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  limit
 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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