Bill Text: IL HB4203 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that the Department of Children and Family Services shall develop and distribute to all guardians ad litem a bibliography containing information on parental alienation behaviors. Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Provides that the training for guardians ad litem shall include a component on the dynamics of parental alienation behaviors and its effect on parents and children.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2014-12-03 - Session Sine Die [HB4203 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2013-HB4203-Introduced.html
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| 1 | AN ACT concerning guardians ad litem.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The Juvenile Court Act of 1987 is amended by | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | changing Section 2-17 as follows:
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| 6 | (705 ILCS 405/2-17) (from Ch. 37, par. 802-17)
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| 7 | Sec. 2-17. Guardian ad litem.
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| 8 | (1) Immediately upon the filing of a petition alleging that | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | the minor is
a person described in Sections 2-3 or 2-4 of this | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Article, the court shall
appoint a guardian ad litem for the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | minor if:
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| 12 | (a) such petition alleges that the minor is an abused | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | or neglected
child; or
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| 14 | (b) such petition alleges that charges alleging the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | commission
of any of the sex offenses defined in Article 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | or in Sections 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-1.50, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | 11-1.60, 12-13,
12-14,
12-14.1,
12-15 or 12-16 of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, have | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | been
filed against a defendant in any court and that such | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | minor is the alleged
victim of the acts of defendant in the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | commission of such offense.
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| 22 | Unless the guardian ad litem appointed pursuant to this | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | paragraph
(1) is an attorney at law he shall be represented in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | the performance
of his duties by counsel. The guardian ad litem | ||||||
| 2 | shall represent the best
interests of the minor and shall | ||||||
| 3 | present recommendations to the court
consistent with that duty.
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| 4 | (2) Before proceeding with the hearing, the court shall
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| 5 | appoint a guardian ad litem for the minor if
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| 6 | (a) no parent, guardian, custodian or relative of the | ||||||
| 7 | minor appears
at the first or any subsequent hearing of the | ||||||
| 8 | case;
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| 9 | (b) the petition prays for the appointment of a | ||||||
| 10 | guardian with power
to consent to adoption; or
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| 11 | (c) the petition for which the minor is before the | ||||||
| 12 | court resulted
from a report made pursuant to the Abused | ||||||
| 13 | and Neglected Child Reporting
Act.
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| 14 | (3) The court may appoint a guardian ad litem for the minor | ||||||
| 15 | whenever
it finds that there may be a conflict of interest | ||||||
| 16 | between the minor and
his parents or other custodian or that it | ||||||
| 17 | is otherwise in the minor's
best interest to do so.
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| 18 | (4) Unless the guardian ad litem is an attorney, he shall | ||||||
| 19 | be
represented by counsel.
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| 20 | (5) The reasonable fees of a guardian ad litem appointed | ||||||
| 21 | under this
Section shall be fixed by the court and charged to | ||||||
| 22 | the parents of the
minor, to the extent they are able to pay. | ||||||
| 23 | If the parents are unable to
pay those fees, they shall be paid | ||||||
| 24 | from the general fund of the county.
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| 25 | (6) A guardian ad litem appointed under this Section, shall | ||||||
| 26 | receive
copies of any and all classified reports of child abuse | ||||||
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| 1 | and neglect made
under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting | ||||||
| 2 | Act in which the minor who
is the subject of a report under the | ||||||
| 3 | Abused and Neglected Child Reporting
Act, is also the minor for | ||||||
| 4 | whom the guardian ad litem is appointed under
this Section.
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| 5 | (7) The appointed
guardian ad
litem shall remain the | ||||||
| 6 | child's guardian ad litem throughout the entire juvenile
trial | ||||||
| 7 | court
proceedings, including permanency hearings and | ||||||
| 8 | termination of parental rights
proceedings, unless there is a | ||||||
| 9 | substitution entered by order of the court.
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| 10 | (8) The guardian
ad
litem or an agent of the guardian ad | ||||||
| 11 | litem shall have a minimum of one
in-person contact with the | ||||||
| 12 | minor and one contact with one
of the
current foster parents or | ||||||
| 13 | caregivers prior to the
adjudicatory hearing, and at
least one | ||||||
| 14 | additional in-person contact with the child and one contact | ||||||
| 15 | with
one of the
current foster
parents or caregivers after the | ||||||
| 16 | adjudicatory hearing but
prior to the first permanency hearing
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| 17 | and one additional in-person contact with the child and one | ||||||
| 18 | contact with one
of the current
foster parents or caregivers | ||||||
| 19 | each subsequent year. For good cause shown, the
judge may | ||||||
| 20 | excuse face-to-face interviews required in this subsection.
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| 21 | (9) In counties with a population of 100,000 or more but | ||||||
| 22 | less than
3,000,000, each guardian ad litem must successfully | ||||||
| 23 | complete a training program
approved by the Department of | ||||||
| 24 | Children and Family Services. The Department of
Children and | ||||||
| 25 | Family Services shall provide training materials and documents | ||||||
| 26 | to
guardians ad litem who are not mandated to attend the | ||||||
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| 1 | training program. The
Department of Children and Family | ||||||
| 2 | Services shall develop
and
distribute to all guardians ad litem | ||||||
| 3 | a bibliography containing information
including but not | ||||||
| 4 | limited to the juvenile court process, termination of
parental | ||||||
| 5 | rights, child development, medical aspects of child abuse, | ||||||
| 6 | parental alienation behaviors, and the
child's need for safety | ||||||
| 7 | and permanence.
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| 8 | (Source: P.A. 96-1551, eff. 7-1-11; 97-1150, eff. 1-25-13.)
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| 9 | Section 10. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of | ||||||
| 10 | Marriage Act is amended by changing Section 601.5 as follows:
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| 11 | (750 ILCS 5/601.5)
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| 12 | Sec. 601.5. Training. The chief circuit judge or designated | ||||||
| 13 | presiding judge may approve 3 hours of training for guardians | ||||||
| 14 | ad litem appointed under Section 601 of this Act, professional | ||||||
| 15 | personnel appointed under Section 604 of this Act, evaluators | ||||||
| 16 | appointed under Section 604.5 of this Act, and investigators | ||||||
| 17 | appointed under Section 605 of this Act. This training shall | ||||||
| 18 | include a component on the dynamics of domestic violence and | ||||||
| 19 | parental alienation behaviors and their its effect on parents | ||||||
| 20 | and children.
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| 21 | (Source: P.A. 94-377, eff. 7-29-05; 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)
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