Bill Text: IL HB2816 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Amends the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act. Provides that if a parent relinquishes a newborn infant to a hospital, the hospital shall file a foundling record to constitute the birth certificate for the relinquished newborn infant; and that to protect the parent's anonymity, the foundling record shall not contain any identifying information about the relinquishing parent. Provides that if the parent of a newborn infant or any other person returns to reclaim the infant after relinquishing the infant to a fire station, emergency medical facility, or police station, the fire station, emergency medical facility, or police station must inform the parent or person that he or she must contact the Department of Children and Family Services' State-wide, toll-free telephone number for information on the relinquished infant. Shortens the length of time the Department of Children and Family Services or a child-placing agency must initiate certain proceedings, including proceedings to terminate the parental rights of the relinquished newborn infant's known or unknown parents, to no sooner than 30 days (rather than no sooner than 60 days). Provides that no court order terminating the parental rights of the relinquished newborn infant's known or unknown parents shall be entered sooner than 60 days after the date of the initial relinquishment of the infant to the hospital, police station, fire station, or emergency medical facility. Makes other changes.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-04-24 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB2816 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2015-HB2816-Introduced.html


99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
HB2816

Introduced , by Rep. Patricia R. Bellock

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
325 ILCS 2/20
325 ILCS 2/35
325 ILCS 2/50
325 ILCS 2/60

Amends the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act. Provides that if a parent relinquishes a newborn infant to a hospital, the hospital shall file a foundling record to constitute the birth certificate for the relinquished newborn infant; and that to protect the parent's anonymity, the foundling record shall not contain any identifying information about the relinquishing parent. Provides that if the parent of a newborn infant or any other person returns to reclaim the infant after relinquishing the infant to a fire station, emergency medical facility, or police station, the fire station, emergency medical facility, or police station must inform the parent or person that he or she must contact the Department of Children and Family Services' State-wide, toll-free telephone number for information on the relinquished infant. Shortens the length of time the Department of Children and Family Services or a child-placing agency must initiate certain proceedings, including proceedings to terminate the parental rights of the relinquished newborn infant's known or unknown parents, to no sooner than 30 days (rather than no sooner than 60 days). Provides that no court order terminating the parental rights of the relinquished newborn infant's known or unknown parents shall be entered sooner than 60 days after the date of the initial relinquishment of the infant to the hospital, police station, fire station, or emergency medical facility. Makes other changes.
LRB099 06241 KTG 30153 b
FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

HB2816LRB099 06241 KTG 30153 b
1 AN ACT concerning children.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act is
5amended by changing Sections 20, 35, 50, and 60 as follows:
6 (325 ILCS 2/20)
7 Sec. 20. Procedures with respect to relinquished newborn
8infants.
9 (a) Hospitals. Every hospital must accept and provide all
10necessary emergency services and care to a relinquished newborn
11infant, in accordance with this Act. The hospital shall examine
12a relinquished newborn infant and perform tests that, based on
13reasonable medical judgment, are appropriate in evaluating
14whether the relinquished newborn infant was abused or
15neglected.
16 The act of relinquishing a newborn infant serves as implied
17consent for the hospital and its medical personnel and
18physicians on staff to treat and provide care for the infant.
19 The hospital shall be deemed to have temporary protective
20custody of a relinquished newborn infant until the infant is
21discharged to the custody of a child-placing agency or the
22Department.
23 If a parent relinquishes a newborn infant in accordance

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1with this Act, the hospital shall file a foundling record to
2constitute the birth certificate for the relinquished newborn
3infant. To protect the parent's anonymity, the foundling record
4shall not contain any identifying information about the
5relinquishing parent.
6 (b) Fire stations and emergency medical facilities. Every
7fire station and emergency medical facility must accept and
8provide all necessary emergency services and care to a
9relinquished newborn infant, in accordance with this Act.
10 The act of relinquishing a newborn infant serves as implied
11consent for the fire station or emergency medical facility and
12its emergency medical professionals to treat and provide care
13for the infant, to the extent that those emergency medical
14professionals are trained to provide those services.
15 After the relinquishment of a newborn infant to a fire
16station or emergency medical facility, the fire station or
17emergency medical facility's personnel must arrange for the
18transportation of the infant to the nearest hospital as soon as
19transportation can be arranged.
20 If the parent of a newborn infant or any other person
21returns to reclaim the infant after relinquishing the infant to
22a fire station or emergency medical facility, the fire station
23or emergency medical facility must inform the parent or person
24that he or she must contact the Department of Children and
25Family Services' State-wide, toll-free telephone number
26established under Section 35.6 of the Children and Family

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1Services Act for information on the relinquished infant.
2 If the parent of a newborn infant returns to reclaim the
3child within 72 hours after relinquishing the child to a fire
4station or emergency medical facility, the fire station or
5emergency medical facility must inform the parent of the name
6and location of the hospital to which the infant was
7transported.
8 (c) Police stations. Every police station must accept a
9relinquished newborn infant, in accordance with this Act. After
10the relinquishment of a newborn infant to a police station, the
11police station must arrange for the transportation of the
12infant to the nearest hospital as soon as transportation can be
13arranged. The act of relinquishing a newborn infant serves as
14implied consent for the hospital to which the infant is
15transported and that hospital's medical personnel and
16physicians on staff to treat and provide care for the infant.
17 If the parent of a newborn infant or any other person
18returns to reclaim the infant after relinquishing the infant to
19a police station, the police station must inform the parent or
20person that he or she must contact the Department of Children
21and Family Services' State-wide, toll-free telephone number
22established under Section 35.6 of the Children and Family
23Services Act for information on the relinquished infant.
24 If the parent of a newborn infant returns to reclaim the
25infant within 72 hours after relinquishing the infant to a
26police station, the police station must inform the parent of

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1the name and location of the hospital to which the infant was
2transported.
3(Source: P.A. 92-408, eff. 8-17-01; 92-432, eff. 8-17-01;
493-820, eff. 7-27-04.)
5 (325 ILCS 2/35)
6 Sec. 35. Information for relinquishing person.
7 (a) A hospital, police station, fire station, or emergency
8medical facility that receives a newborn infant relinquished in
9accordance with this Act must offer an information packet to
10the relinquishing person and, if possible, must clearly inform
11the relinquishing person that his or her acceptance of the
12information is completely voluntary. The information packet
13must include all of the following:
14 (1) (Blank).
15 (2) Written notice of the following:
16 (A) No sooner than 30 days No sooner than 60 days
17 following the date of the initial relinquishment of the
18 infant to a hospital, police station, fire station, or
19 emergency medical facility, the child-placing agency
20 or the Department will commence proceedings for the
21 termination of parental rights and placement of the
22 infant for adoption.
23 (B) Failure of a parent of the infant to contact
24 the Department and petition for the return of custody
25 of the infant before termination of parental rights

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1 bars any future action asserting legal rights with
2 respect to the infant.
3 (3) A resource list of providers of counseling services
4 including grief counseling, pregnancy counseling, and
5 counseling regarding adoption and other available options
6 for placement of the infant.
7 Upon request of a parent, the Department of Public Health
8shall provide the application forms for the Illinois Adoption
9Registry and Medical Information Exchange.
10 (b) The information packet given to a relinquishing parent
11in accordance with this Act shall include, in addition to other
12information required under this Act, the following:
13 (1) A brochure (with a self-mailer attached) that
14 describes this Act and the rights of birth parents,
15 including an optional section for the parent to complete
16 and mail to the Department of Children and Family Services,
17 that shall ask for basic anonymous background information
18 about the relinquished child. This brochure shall be
19 maintained by the Department on its website.
20 (2) A brochure that describes the Illinois Adoption
21 Registry, including a toll-free number and website
22 information. This brochure shall be maintained on the
23 Office of Vital Records website.
24 (3) A brochure describing postpartum health
25 information for the mother.
26 The information packet shall be designed in coordination

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1between the Office of Vital Records and the Department of
2Children and Family Services, with the exception of the
3resource list of providers of counseling services and adoption
4agencies, which shall be provided by the hospital, fire
5station, police station, sheriff's office, or emergency
6medical facility.
7(Source: P.A. 96-1114, eff. 7-20-10; 97-333, eff. 8-12-11.)
8 (325 ILCS 2/50)
9 Sec. 50. Child-placing agency procedures.
10 (a) The Department's State Central Registry must maintain a
11list of licensed child-placing agencies willing to take legal
12custody of newborn infants relinquished in accordance with this
13Act. The child-placing agencies on the list must be contacted
14by the Department on a rotating basis upon notice from a
15hospital that a newborn infant has been relinquished in
16accordance with this Act.
17 (b) Upon notice from the Department that a newborn infant
18has been relinquished in accordance with this Act, a
19child-placing agency must accept the newborn infant if the
20agency has the accommodations to do so. The child-placing
21agency must seek an order for legal custody of the infant upon
22its acceptance of the infant.
23 (c) Within 3 business days after assuming physical custody
24of the infant, the child-placing agency shall file a petition
25in the division of the circuit court in which petitions for

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1adoption would normally be heard. The petition shall allege
2that the newborn infant has been relinquished in accordance
3with this Act and shall state that the child-placing agency
4intends to place the infant in an adoptive home.
5 (d) If no licensed child-placing agency is able to accept
6the relinquished newborn infant, then the Department must
7assume responsibility for the infant as soon as practicable.
8 (e) A custody order issued under subsection (b) shall
9remain in effect until a final adoption order based on the
10relinquished newborn infant's best interests is issued in
11accordance with this Act and the Adoption Act.
12 (f) When possible, the child-placing agency must place a
13relinquished newborn infant in a prospective adoptive home.
14 (g) The Department or child-placing agency must initiate
15proceedings to (i) terminate the parental rights of the
16relinquished newborn infant's known or unknown parents, (ii)
17appoint a guardian for the infant, and (iii) obtain consent to
18the infant's adoption in accordance with this Act no sooner
19than 30 days no sooner than 60 days following the date of the
20initial relinquishment of the infant to the hospital, police
21station, fire station, or emergency medical facility.
22 (g-5) No court order terminating the parental rights of the
23relinquished newborn infant's known or unknown parents shall be
24entered sooner than 60 days after the date of the initial
25relinquishment of the infant to the hospital, police station,
26fire station, or emergency medical facility.

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1 (h)Before filing a petition for termination of parental
2rights, the Department or child-placing agency must do the
3following:
4 (1) Search its Putative Father Registry for the purpose
5 of determining the identity and location of the putative
6 father of the relinquished newborn infant who is, or is
7 expected to be, the subject of an adoption proceeding, in
8 order to provide notice of the proceeding to the putative
9 father. At least one search of the Registry must be
10 conducted, at least 30 days after the relinquished newborn
11 infant's estimated date of birth; earlier searches may be
12 conducted, however. Notice to any potential putative
13 father discovered in a search of the Registry according to
14 the estimated age of the relinquished newborn infant must
15 be in accordance with Section 12a of the Adoption Act.
16 (2) Verify with law enforcement officials, using the
17 National Crime Information Center, that the relinquished
18 newborn infant is not a missing child.
19(Source: P.A. 92-408, eff. 8-17-01; 92-432, eff. 8-17-01;
2093-820, eff. 7-27-04.)
21 (325 ILCS 2/60)
22 Sec. 60. Department's duties. The Department must
23implement a public information program to promote safe
24placement alternatives for newborn infants. The public
25information program must inform the public of the following:

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1 (1) The relinquishment alternative provided for in
2 this Act, which results in the adoption of a newborn infant
3 under 30 7 days of age and which provides for the parent's
4 anonymity, if the parent so chooses.
5 (2) The alternative of adoption through a public or
6 private agency, in which the parent's identity may or may
7 not be known to the agency, but is kept anonymous from the
8 adoptive parents, if the birth parent so desires, and which
9 allows the parent to be actively involved in the child's
10 adoption plan.
11 The public information program may include, but need not be
12limited to, the following elements:
13 (i) Educational and informational materials in print,
14 audio, video, electronic or other media.
15 (ii) Establishment of a web site.
16 (iii) Public service announcements and advertisements.
17 (iv) Establishment of toll-free telephone hotlines to
18 provide information.
19(Source: P.A. 94-941, eff. 6-26-06.)
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