Bill Text: IL HB3287 | 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 expand the bibliography distributed to all guardians ad litem to include information prepared by the Department 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 4-0)
Status: (Failed) 2014-12-03 - Session Sine Die [HB3287 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2013-HB3287-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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