HB1021enr 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB1021 Enrolled LRB093 05534 DRJ 05626 b

AN ACT concerning family law.

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

Section 5. The Illinois Parentage Act of 1984 is amended by changing Section 6 as follows:

(750 ILCS 45/6) (from Ch. 40, par. 2506)

Sec. 6. Establishment of Parent and Child Relationship by Consent of the Parties.

(a) A parent and child relationship may be established voluntarily by the signing and witnessing of a voluntary acknowledgment of parentage in accordance with Section 12 of the Vital Records Act, Section 10-17.7 of the Illinois Public Aid Code, or the provisions of the Gestational Surrogacy Act. The voluntary acknowledgment of parentage shall contain the social security numbers of the persons signing the voluntary acknowledgment of parentage; however, failure to include the social security numbers of the persons signing a voluntary acknowledgment of parentage does not invalidate the voluntary acknowledgment of parentage.

(1) A parent-child relationship may be established in the event of gestational surrogacy if all of the following conditions are met prior to the birth of the child:

(A) The gestational surrogate certifies that she is not the biological mother of the child, and that she is carrying the child for the intended parents.

(B) The husband, if any, of the gestational surrogate certifies that he is not the biological father of the child.

(C) The intended mother certifies that she provided or an egg donor donated the egg from which the child being carried by the gestational surrogate was conceived.

(D) The intended father certifies that he provided or a sperm donor donated the sperm from which the child being carried by the gestational surrogate was conceived.

(E) A physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches in the State of Illinois certifies that the child being carried by the gestational surrogate is the biological child of the intended mother or the and intended father or both and that neither the gestational surrogate nor the gestational surrogate's husband, if any, is a biological parent of the child being carried by the gestational surrogate.

(E-5) The attorneys for the intended parents and the gestational surrogate each certifies that the parties entered into a gestational surrogacy contract intended to satisfy the requirements of Section 25 of the Gestational Surrogacy Act with respect to the child.

(F) All certifications shall be in writing and witnessed by 2 competent adults who are not the gestational surrogate, gestational surrogate's husband, if any, intended mother, or intended father. Certifications shall be on forms prescribed by the Illinois Department of Public Health, shall be executed prior to the birth of the child, and shall be placed in the medical records of the gestational surrogate prior to the birth of the child. Copies of all certifications shall be delivered to the Illinois Department of Public Health prior to the birth of the child.

(2) Unless otherwise determined by order of the Circuit Court, the child shall be presumed to be the child of the gestational surrogate and of the gestational surrogate's husband, if any, if all requirements of subdivision (a)(1) are not met prior to the birth of the child. This presumption may be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence. The circuit court may order the gestational surrogate, gestational surrogate's husband, intended mother, intended father, and child to submit to such medical examinations and testing as the court deems appropriate.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Act, paternity established in accordance with subsection (a) has the full force and effect of a judgment entered under this Act and serves as a basis for seeking a child support order without any further proceedings to establish paternity.

(c) A judicial or administrative proceeding to ratify paternity established in accordance with subsection (a) is neither required nor permitted.

(d) A signed acknowledgment of paternity entered under this Act may be challenged in court only on the basis of fraud, duress, or material mistake of fact, with the burden of proof upon the challenging party. Pending outcome of the challenge to the acknowledgment of paternity, the legal responsibilities of the signatories shall remain in full force and effect, except upon order of the court upon a showing of good cause.

(e) Once a parent and child relationship is established in accordance with subsection (a), an order for support may be established pursuant to a petition to establish an order for support by consent filed with the clerk of the circuit court. A copy of the properly completed acknowledgment of parentage form shall be attached to the petition. The petition shall ask that the circuit court enter an order for support. The petition may ask that an order for visitation, custody, or guardianship be entered. The filing and appearance fees provided under the Clerks of Courts Act shall be waived for all cases in which an acknowledgment of parentage form has been properly completed by the parties and in which a petition to establish an order for support by consent has been filed with the clerk of the circuit court. This subsection shall not be construed to prohibit filing any petition for child support, visitation, or custody under this Act, the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, or the Non-Support Punishment Act. This subsection shall also not be construed to prevent the establishment of an administrative support order in cases involving persons receiving child support enforcement services under Article X of the Illinois Public Aid Code.

(Source: P.A. 92-16, eff. 6-28-01; 93-921, eff. 1-1-05.)

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