Public Act 0926 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4129 Enrolled LRB097 14478 KTG 61935 b

Public Act 097-0926

AN ACT concerning public aid.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by adding Section 10-15.1 as follows:

(305 ILCS 5/10-15.1 new)

Sec. 10-15.1. Judicial registration of administrative support orders.

(a) A final administrative support order established by the Illinois Department under this Article X may be registered in the appropriate circuit court of this State by the Department or by a party to the order by filing:

(1) Two copies, including one certified copy of the order to be registered, any modification of the administrative support order, any voluntary acknowledgment of paternity pertaining to the child covered by the order, and the documents showing service of the notice of support obligation that commenced the procedure for establishment of the administrative support order pursuant to Section 10-4 of this Code.

(2) A sworn statement by the person requesting registration or a certified copy of the Department payment record showing the amount of any past due support accrued under the administrative support order.

(3) The name of the obligor and, if known, the obligor's address and social security number.

(4) The name of the obligee and the obligee's address, unless the obligee alleges in an affidavit or pleading under oath that the health, safety, or liberty of the obligee or child would be jeopardized by disclosure of specific identifying information, in which case that information must be sealed and may not be disclosed to the other party or public. After a hearing in which the court takes into consideration the health, safety, or liberty of the party or child, the court may order disclosure of information that the court determines to be in the interest of justice.

(b) The filing of an administrative support order under subsection (a) constitutes registration with the circuit court.

(c) A petition or comparable pleading seeking a remedy that must be affirmatively sought under other law of this State may be filed at the same time as the request for registration or later. The pleading must specify the grounds for the remedy sought.

(d) When an administrative support order is registered, the clerk of the circuit court shall notify the nonregistering party and the Illinois Department, unless the Department is requesting registration of its order. The notice, which shall be served on the nonregistering party by any method provided by law for service of a summons, must be accompanied by a copy of the registered administrative support order and the documents and relevant information accompanying the order.

(e) A notice of registration of an administrative support order must provide the following information:

(1) That a registered administrative order is enforceable in the same manner as an order for support issued by the circuit court.

(2) That a hearing to contest enforcement of the registered administrative support order must be requested within 30 days after the date of service of the notice.

(3) That failure to contest, in a timely manner, the enforcement of the registered administrative support order shall result in confirmation of the order and enforcement of the order and the alleged arrearages and precludes further contest of that order with respect to any matter that could have been asserted.

(4) The amount of any alleged arrearages.

(f) A nonregistering party seeking to contest enforcement of a registered administrative support order shall request a hearing within 30 days after the date of service of notice of the registration. The nonregistering party may seek to vacate the registration, to assert any defense to an allegation of noncompliance with the registered administrative support order, or to contest the remedies being sought or the amount of any alleged arrearages.

(g) If the nonregistering party fails to contest the enforcement of the registered administrative support order in a timely manner, the order shall be confirmed by operation of law.

(h) If a nonregistering party requests a hearing to contest the enforcement of the registered administrative support order, the circuit court shall schedule the matter for hearing and give notice to the parties and the Illinois Department of the date, time, and place of the hearing.

(i) A party contesting the enforcement of a registered administrative support order or seeking to vacate the registration has the burden of proving one or more of the following defenses:

(1) The Illinois Department lacked personal jurisdiction over the contesting party.

(2) The administrative support order was obtained by fraud.

(3) The administrative support order has been vacated, suspended, or modified by a later order.

(4) The Illinois Department has stayed the administrative support order pending appeal.

(5) There is a defense under the law to the remedy sought.

(6) Full or partial payment has been made.

(j) If a party presents evidence establishing a full or partial payment defense under subsection (i), the court may stay enforcement of the registered order, continue the proceeding to permit production of additional relevant evidence, and issue other appropriate orders. An uncontested portion of the registered administrative support order may be enforced by all remedies available under State law.

(k) If a contesting party does not establish a defense under subsection (i) to the enforcement of the administrative support order, the court shall issue an order confirming the administrative support order. Confirmation of the registered administrative support order, whether by operation of law or after notice and hearing, precludes further contest of the order with respect to any matter that could have been asserted at the time of registration. Upon confirmation, the registered administrative support order shall be treated in the same manner as a support order entered by the circuit court, including the ability of the court to entertain a petition to modify the administrative support order due to a substantial change in circumstances, or petitions for visitation or custody of the child or children covered by the administrative support order. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to alter the effect of a final administrative support order, or the restriction of judicial review of such a final order to the provisions of the Administrative Review Law, as provided in Section 10-11 of this Code.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.