Child Law

(Mulroe, D-Chicago) is a rewrite of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. It passed out of Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday to the Senate floor. It is a multiyear effort of the General Assembly’s Family Law Study Committee.

(Cavaletto, R-Salem). 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. 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. Creates a presumption of a significant beneficial relationship arises if: (1) the child resided with the petitioner grandparent for at least six consecutive months with or without the current custodian present during the 12-month period; (2) the petitioner grandparent had frequent or regular contact or visitation with the child throughout the 12-month period; or (3) the petitioner grandparent was the primary caretaker of the child for a period or not less than six consecutive months within the 12-month period. Just introduced and referred to the House Rules Committee. Just introduced and referred to House Rules Committee.

(Nybo, R-Lombard) amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act. It makes records and communications made or created in the course of providing mental health or developmental disabilities services protected from disclosure regardless of whether the records and communications are made or created in the course of a therapeutic relationship. It makes an exception if "unless otherwise expressly provided for in the Act." Just introduced and referred to the Senate Committee on Assignments.

(Haine, D-Alton) lifts the ceiling for the court-services fee that is now at $25. It can be increased to more than $25 if accompanied by an acceptable cost study per statute. The court-services fee is dedicated to the the county sheriff for court security and applies to civil pleadings and criminal convictions. Just introduced and referred to the Senate Committee on Assignments.

(Hunter, D-Chicago) amends the Probate Act of 1975. Provides that a guardianship order for a minor governing removal of the minor from the State may incorporate language governing removal of the minor from the State but only for those removals that take place within one year of the order. It must also include a provision for the guardian to provide notice to the parents of the date of removal and the residential address of the minor after removal. Just introduced and referred to the Senate Committee on Assignments.

(Brady, R-Normal) amends the Clerks of Courts Act to allow the circuit court clerk to reasonably rely upon any notice of the party’s change of address received from the United States Postal Service as a true and correct statement of the party’s current residential address. Applies to any notification required by law to be made by the circuit clerk to a party. Just introduced and referred to House Rules Committee.