103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB4134

 

Introduced , by Rep. Kevin Schmidt

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
325 ILCS 2/10
325 ILCS 2/20
325 ILCS 2/80 new

    Amends the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act. Adds maternity homes and pregnancy resource centers to the list of facilities that must accept a relinquished newborn infant in accordance with the Act. Expands the definition of "relinquish" to include bringing a newborn infant to a maternity home or pregnancy resource center or leaving an infant in a child rescue pod. Defines "maternity home", "pregnancy resource center", and "child pod". Provides that after a newborn infant is relinquished to a maternity home or pregnancy resource center, the facility must arrange for the transportation of the infant to the nearest hospital as soon as transportation can be arranged. Provides that the act of relinquishing a newborn infant serves as implied consent for the hospital to which the infant is transported and that hospital's medical personnel and physicians on staff to treat and provide care for the infant. Provides that if the parent of a newborn infant returns to the maternity home or pregnancy resource center to reclaim the infant within 72 hours after relinquishment, the maternity home or pregnancy resource center must inform the parent of the name or location of the hospital to which the infant was transported. Authorizes the Department of Children and Family Services to adopt all necessary rules for the administration of the Act, including rules governing specifications, installation, maintenance, and oversight of child rescue pods.


LRB103 33823 KTG 63638 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4134LRB103 33823 KTG 63638 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 10 and 20 and by adding Section 80
6as follows:
 
7    (325 ILCS 2/10)
8    Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act:
9    "Abandon" has the same meaning as in the Abused and
10Neglected Child Reporting Act.
11    "Abused child" has the same meaning as in the Abused and
12Neglected Child Reporting Act.
13    "Child-placing agency" means a licensed public or private
14agency that receives a child for the purpose of placing or
15arranging for the placement of the child in a foster family
16home or other facility for child care, apart from the custody
17of the child's parents.
18    "Child rescue pod" means a medical device used to maintain
19an optimal environment for the care of a newborn infant.
20    "Department" or "DCFS" means the Illinois Department of
21Children and Family Services.
22    "Emergency medical facility" means a freestanding
23emergency center or trauma center, as defined in the Emergency

 

 

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1Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act.
2    "Emergency medical professional" includes licensed
3physicians, and any emergency medical technician, emergency
4medical technician-intermediate, advanced emergency medical
5technician, paramedic, trauma nurse specialist, and
6pre-hospital registered nurse, as defined in the Emergency
7Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act.
8    "Fire station" means a fire station within the State with
9at least one staff person.
10    "Hospital" has the same meaning as in the Hospital
11Licensing Act.
12    "Legal custody" means the relationship created by a court
13order in the best interest of a newborn infant that imposes on
14the infant's custodian the responsibility of physical
15possession of the infant, the duty to protect, train, and
16discipline the infant, and the duty to provide the infant with
17food, shelter, education, and medical care, except as these
18are limited by parental rights and responsibilities.
19    "Maternity home" means a residential facility located in
20this State that:
21        (1) is established to provide housing and assistance
22    to pregnant women carrying their pregnancies to term;
23        (2) does not perform, induce, or refer for abortions;
24        (3) does not hold itself out as performing, inducing,
25    or referring for abortions;
26        (4) provides services at no cost to clients; and

 

 

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1        (5) is exempt from income taxation under the Internal
2    Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
3    "Neglected child" has the same meaning as in the Abused
4and Neglected Child Reporting Act.
5    "Newborn infant" means a child who a licensed physician
6reasonably believes is 30 days old or less at the time the
7child is initially relinquished to a hospital, police station,
8fire station, or emergency medical facility, and who is not an
9abused or a neglected child.
10    "Police station" means a municipal police station, a
11county sheriff's office, a campus police department located on
12any college or university owned or controlled by the State or
13any private college or private university that is not owned or
14controlled by the State when employees of the campus police
15department are present, or any of the district headquarters of
16the Illinois State Police.
17    "Pregnancy resource center" means a nonresidential
18facility located in this State that:
19        (1) is established and operating primarily to provide
20    assistance to women and families with crisis pregnancies
21    or unplanned pregnancies by offering pregnancy testing,
22    counseling, emotional and material support, or other
23    similar services to encourage and assist such women and
24    families in carrying their pregnancies to term;
25        (2) is not a facility where childbirths are performed;
26        (3) does not perform, induce, or refer for abortions;

 

 

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1        (4) does not hold itself out as performing, inducing,
2    or referring for abortions;
3        (5) provides direct client services at the facility,
4    as opposed to merely providing counseling or referral
5    services by telephone;
6        (6) provides its services at no cost to its clients;
7        (7) when providing medical services, performs such
8    medical services in accordance with Illinois law; and
9        (8) is exempt from income taxation under the Internal
10    Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
11    "Relinquish" means to bring a newborn infant, who a
12licensed physician reasonably believes is 30 days old or less,
13to a hospital, police station, fire station, or emergency
14medical facility, maternity home, or pregnancy resource center
15and to leave the infant with personnel of the facility or in a
16child rescue pod, if the person leaving the infant does not
17express an intent to return for the infant or states that he or
18she will not return for the infant. In the case of a mother who
19gives birth to an infant in a hospital, the mother's act of
20leaving that newborn infant at the hospital (i) without
21expressing an intent to return for the infant or (ii) stating
22that she will not return for the infant is not a
23"relinquishment" under this Act.
24    "Temporary protective custody" means the temporary
25placement of a newborn infant within a hospital or other
26medical facility out of the custody of the infant's parent.

 

 

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1(Source: P.A. 97-293, eff. 8-11-11; 98-973, eff. 8-15-14.)
 
2    (325 ILCS 2/20)
3    Sec. 20. Procedures with respect to relinquished newborn
4infants.
5    (a) Hospitals. Every hospital must accept and provide all
6necessary emergency services and care to a relinquished
7newborn infant, in accordance with this Act. The hospital
8shall examine a relinquished newborn infant and perform tests
9that, based on reasonable medical judgment, are appropriate in
10evaluating whether the relinquished newborn infant was abused
11or neglected.
12    The act of relinquishing a newborn infant serves as
13implied consent for the hospital and its medical personnel and
14physicians on staff to treat and provide care for the infant.
15    The hospital shall be deemed to have temporary protective
16custody of a relinquished newborn infant until the infant is
17discharged to the custody of a child-placing agency or the
18Department.
19    (b) Fire stations and emergency medical facilities. Every
20fire station and emergency medical facility must accept and
21provide all necessary emergency services and care to a
22relinquished newborn infant, in accordance with this Act.
23    The act of relinquishing a newborn infant serves as
24implied consent for the fire station or emergency medical
25facility and its emergency medical professionals to treat and

 

 

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1provide care for the infant, to the extent that those
2emergency medical professionals are trained to provide those
3services.
4    After the relinquishment of a newborn infant to a fire
5station or emergency medical facility, the fire station or
6emergency medical facility's personnel must arrange for the
7transportation of the infant to the nearest hospital as soon
8as transportation can be arranged.
9    If the parent of a newborn infant returns to reclaim the
10child within 72 hours after relinquishing the child to a fire
11station or emergency medical facility, the fire station or
12emergency medical facility must inform the parent of the name
13and location of the hospital to which the infant was
14transported.
15    (c) Police stations. Every police station must accept a
16relinquished newborn infant, in accordance with this Act.
17After the relinquishment of a newborn infant to a police
18station, the police station must arrange for the
19transportation of the infant to the nearest hospital as soon
20as transportation can be arranged. The act of relinquishing a
21newborn infant serves as implied consent for the hospital to
22which the infant is transported and that hospital's medical
23personnel and physicians on staff to treat and provide care
24for the infant.
25    If the parent of a newborn infant returns to reclaim the
26infant within 72 hours after relinquishing the infant to a

 

 

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1police station, the police station must inform the parent of
2the name and location of the hospital to which the infant was
3transported.
4    (d) Maternity homes. Every maternity home must accept a
5relinquished newborn infant, in accordance with this Act.
6After the relinquishment of a newborn infant to a maternity
7home, the maternity home must arrange for the transportation
8of the infant to the nearest hospital as soon as
9transportation can be arranged. The act of relinquishing a
10newborn infant serves as implied consent for the hospital to
11which the infant is transported and that hospital's medical
12personnel and physicians on staff to treat and provide care
13for the infant.
14    If the parent of a newborn infant returns to reclaim the
15infant within 72 hours after relinquishing the infant to a
16maternity home, the maternity home must inform the parent of
17the name and location of the hospital to which the infant was
18transported.
19    (e) Pregnancy resource centers. Every pregnancy resource
20center must accept a relinquished newborn infant, in
21accordance with this Act. After the relinquishment of a
22newborn infant to a pregnancy resource center, the pregnancy
23resource center must arrange for the transportation of the
24infant to the nearest hospital as soon as transportation can
25be arranged. The act of relinquishing a newborn infant serves
26as implied consent for the hospital to which the infant is

 

 

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1transported and that hospital's medical personnel and
2physicians on staff to treat and provide care for the infant.
3    If the parent of a newborn infant returns to reclaim the
4infant within 72 hours after relinquishing the infant to a
5pregnancy resource center, the pregnancy resource center must
6inform the parent of the name and location of the hospital to
7which the infant was transported.
8(Source: P.A. 92-408, eff. 8-17-01; 92-432, eff. 8-17-01;
993-820, eff. 7-27-04.)
 
10    (325 ILCS 2/80 new)
11    Sec. 80. Rulemaking. The Department may adopt all
12necessary rules for administration of this Act, including
13rules governing specifications, installation, maintenance, and
14oversight of child rescue pods.