Public Act 097-1094
 
SB3593 EnrolledLRB097 20172 JWD 65581 b

    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Probate Act of 1975 is amended by changing
Section 13-5 as follows:
 
    (755 ILCS 5/13-5)  (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 13-5)
    Sec. 13-5. Powers and duties of public guardian.) The court
may appoint the public guardian as the guardian of any disabled
adult who is in need of a public guardian and whose estate
exceeds $25,000. When a disabled adult who has a smaller estate
is in need of guardianship services, the court shall appoint
the State guardian pursuant to Section 30 of the Guardianship
and Advocacy Act. If the public guardian is appointed guardian
of a disabled adult and the estate of the disabled adult is
thereafter reduced to less than $25,000, the court may, upon
the petition of the public guardian and the approval by the
court of a final accounting of the disabled adult's estate,
discharge the public guardian and transfer the guardianship to
the State guardian. The public guardian shall serve not less
than 14 days' notice to the State guardian of the hearing date
regarding the transfer. When appointed by the court, the public
guardian has the same powers and duties as other guardians
appointed under this Act, with the following additions and
modifications:
    (a) The public guardian shall monitor the ward and his care
and progress on a continuous basis. Monitoring shall at minimum
consist of monthly contact with the ward, and the receipt of
periodic reports from all individuals and agencies, public or
private, providing care or related services to the ward.
    (b) Placement of a ward outside of the ward's home may be
made only after the public guardian or his representative has
visited the facility in which placement is proposed.
    (c) The public guardian shall prepare an inventory of the
ward's belongings and assets and shall maintain insurance on
all of the ward's real and personal property, unless the court
determines, and issues an order finding, that (1) the real or
personal property lacks sufficient equity, (2) the estate lacks
sufficient funds to pay for insurance, or (3) the property is
otherwise uninsurable. No personal property shall be removed
from the ward's possession except for storage pending final
placement or for liquidation in accordance with this Act.
    (d) The public guardian shall make no substantial
distribution of the ward's estate without a court order.
    (e) The public guardian may liquidate assets of the ward to
pay for the costs of the ward's care and for storage of the
ward's personal property only after notice of such pending
action is given to all potential heirs at law, unless notice is
waived by the court; provided, however, that a person who has
been so notified may elect to pay for care or storage or to pay
fair market value of the asset or assets sought to be sold in
lieu of liquidation.
    (f) Real property of the ward may be sold at fair market
value after an appraisal of the property has been made by a
licensed appraiser; provided, however, that the ward's
residence may be sold only if the court finds that the ward is
not likely to be able to return home at a future date.
    (g) The public guardian shall, at such intervals as the
court may direct, submit to the court an affidavit setting
forth in detail the services he has provided for the benefit of
the ward.
    (h) Upon the death of the ward, the public guardian shall
turn over to the court-appointed administrator all of the
ward's assets and an account of his receipt and administration
of the ward's property. A guardian ad litem shall be appointed
for an accounting when the estate exceeds the amount set in
Section 25-1 of this Act for administration of small estates.
    (i)(1) On petition of any person who appears to have an
interest in the estate, the court by temporary order may
restrain the public guardian from performing specified acts of
administration, disbursement or distribution, or from exercise
of any powers or discharge of any duties of his office, or make
any other order to secure proper performance of his duty, if it
appears to the court that the public guardian might otherwise
take some action contrary to the best interests of the ward.
Persons with whom the public guardian may transact business may
be made parties.
    (2) The matter shall be set for hearing within 10 days
unless the parties otherwise agree or unless for good cause
shown the court determines that additional time is required.
Notice as the court directs shall be given to the public
guardian and his attorney of record, if any, and to any other
parties named defendant in the petition.
    (j) On petition of the public guardian, the court in its
discretion may for good cause shown transfer guardianship to
the State guardian.
    (k) No later than January 31 of each year, the public
guardian shall file an annual report with the clerk of the
Circuit Court, indicating, with respect to the period covered
by the report, the number of cases which he has handled, the
date on which each case was assigned, the date of termination
of each case which has been closed during the period, the
disposition of each terminated case, and the total amount of
fees collected during the period from each ward.
    (l) (Blank).
(Source: P.A. 96-752, eff. 1-1-10.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.