HB3886 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB102 17071 RLC 22499 b

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB3886

Introduced 2/22/2021, by Rep. Lakesia Collins

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

705 ILCS 405/2-10.3 new
705 ILCS 405/2-17	from Ch. 37, par. 802-17

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that any party may file a motion requesting the court to review the decision of a temporary custodian or guardian appointed under the Act to deny a minor under the age of 18 access to the media. Provides that the Department of Children and Family Services bears the burden of demonstrating by clear and convincing evidence that its decision to deny the minor access to the media is in the minor's best interest. Provides that, in making its determination, the court shall weigh specified factors. Provides that the Department of Children and Family Services shall provide notice to a minor's guardian ad litem and attorney appointed under this Act any time that the Department, in its capacity as the minor's temporary custodian or guardian, denies a request by the media to speak with the minor. The Department shall provide the notice within one business day of its decision. The notice must at a minimum include the following: the name of the child, the name of the media, the date of the inquiry from the media, and the rationale for the Department's decision.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning courts.

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

Section 5. The Juvenile Court Act of 1987 is amended by changing Section 2-17 and by adding Section 2-10.3 as follows:

(705 ILCS 405/2-10.3 new)

Sec. 2-10.3. Media access to minor. Any party may file a motion requesting the court to review the decision of a temporary custodian or guardian appointed under this Act to deny a minor under the age of 18 access to the media. The Department of Children and Family Services bears the burden of demonstrating by clear and convincing evidence that its decision to deny the minor access to the media is in the minor's best interest. In making its determination, the court shall weigh the following factors in addition to considering the best interests factors listed in subsection (4.05) of Section 1-3:

(1) the minor's right to free speech under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and Section 4 of Article I of the Illinois Constitution;

(2) the minor's level of maturity and ability to appreciate the consequences of his or her actions in talking with the media;

(3) the reasons the temporary custodian or guardian is denying access;

(4) the ability and willingness of the media outlet to respect the minor's privacy by, for example, using pseudonyms and limiting photographs of the minor, if requested by the minor; and

(5) any other factor the court deems relevant.

(705 ILCS 405/2-17) (from Ch. 37, par. 802-17)

Sec. 2-17. Guardian ad litem.

(1) Immediately upon the filing of a petition alleging that the minor is a person described in Sections 2-3 or 2-4 of this Article, the court shall appoint a guardian ad litem for the minor if:

(a) such petition alleges that the minor is an abused or neglected child; or

(b) such petition alleges that charges alleging the commission of any of the sex offenses defined in Article 11 or in Sections 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-1.50, 11-1.60, 12-13, 12-14, 12-14.1, 12-15 or 12-16 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, have been filed against a defendant in any court and that such minor is the alleged victim of the acts of defendant in the commission of such offense.

Unless the guardian ad litem appointed pursuant to this paragraph (1) is an attorney at law, he shall be represented in the performance of his duties by counsel. The guardian ad litem shall represent the best interests of the minor and shall present recommendations to the court consistent with that duty.

(2) Before proceeding with the hearing, the court shall appoint a guardian ad litem for the minor if:

(a) no parent, guardian, custodian or relative of the minor appears at the first or any subsequent hearing of the case;

(b) the petition prays for the appointment of a guardian with power to consent to adoption; or

(c) the petition for which the minor is before the court resulted from a report made pursuant to the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act.

(3) The court may appoint a guardian ad litem for the minor whenever it finds that there may be a conflict of interest between the minor and his parents or other custodian or that it is otherwise in the minor's best interest to do so.

(4) Unless the guardian ad litem is an attorney, he shall be represented by counsel.

(5) The reasonable fees of a guardian ad litem appointed under this Section shall be fixed by the court and charged to the parents of the minor, to the extent they are able to pay. If the parents are unable to pay those fees, they shall be paid from the general fund of the county.

(6) A guardian ad litem appointed under this Section, shall receive copies of any and all classified reports of child abuse and neglect made under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act in which the minor who is the subject of a report under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, is also the minor for whom the guardian ad litem is appointed under this Section.

(6.5) A guardian ad litem appointed under this Section or attorney appointed under this Act shall receive a copy of each significant event report that involves the minor no later than 3 days after the Department learns of an event requiring a significant event report to be written, or earlier as required by Department rule.

(6.6) The Department of Children and Family Services shall provide notice to a minor's guardian ad litem and attorney appointed under this Act any time that the Department, in its capacity as the minor's temporary custodian or guardian, denies a request by the media to speak with the minor. The Department shall provide the notice within one business day of its decision. The notice must at a minimum include the following: the name of the child, the name of the media, the date of the inquiry from the media, and the rationale for the Department's decision.

(7) The appointed guardian ad litem shall remain the child's guardian ad litem throughout the entire juvenile trial court proceedings, including permanency hearings and termination of parental rights proceedings, unless there is a substitution entered by order of the court.

(8) The guardian ad litem or an agent of the guardian ad litem shall have a minimum of one in-person contact with the minor and one contact with one of the current foster parents or caregivers prior to the adjudicatory hearing, and at least one additional in-person contact with the child and one contact with one of the current foster parents or caregivers after the adjudicatory hearing but prior to the first permanency hearing and one additional in-person contact with the child and one contact with one of the current foster parents or caregivers each subsequent year. For good cause shown, the judge may excuse face-to-face interviews required in this subsection.

(9) In counties with a population of 100,000 or more but less than 3,000,000, each guardian ad litem must successfully complete a training program approved by the Department of Children and Family Services. The Department of Children and Family Services shall provide training materials and documents to guardians ad litem who are not mandated to attend the training program. The Department of Children and Family Services shall develop and distribute to all guardians ad litem a bibliography containing information including but not limited to the juvenile court process, termination of parental rights, child development, medical aspects of child abuse, and the child's need for safety and permanence.

(Source: P.A. 100-689, eff. 1-1-19; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19.)