HB4636ham001 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. Sara Feigenholtz

Filed: 3/21/2014

09800HB4636ham001 LRB098 17076 HEP 56845 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4636

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4636 on page 1, line 5, by changing "Section 2.04" to "Sections 2.04, 2.05, 2.17, 4, and 5"; and

on page 1, line 16, after "Act", by inserting the following:

", whose parent has signed a denial of paternity pursuant to Section 12 of the Vital Records Act or Section 12a of the Adoption Act,"; and

on page 2, by inserting immediately below line 3 the following:

"(225 ILCS 10/2.05) (from Ch. 23, par. 2212.05)

Sec. 2.05. "Facility for child care" or "child care facility" means any person, group of persons, agency, association, organization, corporation, institution, center, or group, whether established for gain or otherwise, who or which receives or arranges for care or placement of one or more children, unrelated to the operator of the facility, apart from the parents, with or without the transfer of the right of custody in any facility as defined in this Act, established and maintained for the care of children. "Child care facility" includes a relative, as defined in Section 2.17 of this Act, who is licensed as a foster family home under Section 4 of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 94-586, eff. 8-15-05.)

(225 ILCS 10/2.17) (from Ch. 23, par. 2212.17)

Sec. 2.17. "Foster family home" means a facility for child care in residences of families who receive no more than 8 children unrelated to them, unless all the children are of common parentage, or residences of relatives who receive no more than 8 related children placed by the Department, unless the children are of common parentage, for the purpose of providing family care and training for the children on a full-time basis, except the Director of Children and Family Services, pursuant to Department regulations, may waive the limit of 8 children unrelated to an adoptive family for good cause and only to facilitate an adoptive placement. The family's or relative's own children, under 18 years of age, shall be included in determining the maximum number of children served. For purposes of this Section, a "relative" includes any person, 21 years of age or over, other than the parent, who (i) is currently related to the child in any of the following ways by blood or adoption: grandparent, sibling, great-grandparent, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, first cousin, great-uncle, or great-aunt; or (ii) is the spouse of such a relative; or (iii) is a child's step-father, step-mother, or adult step-brother or step-sister; "relative" also includes a person related in any of the foregoing ways to a sibling of a child, even though the person is not related to the child, when the child and its sibling are placed together with that person. For purposes of placement of children pursuant to Section 7 of the Children and Family Services Act and for purposes of licensing requirements set forth in Section 4 of this Act, for children under the custody or guardianship of the Department pursuant to the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, after a parent signs a consent, surrender, or waiver and after a parent's rights are terminated, and while the child remains in the custody or guardianship of the Department, the child is considered to be related to those to whom the child was related under this Section prior to the signing of the consent, surrender, or waiver or the order of termination of parental rights. The term "foster family home" includes homes receiving children from any State-operated institution for child care; or from any agency established by a municipality or other political subdivision of the State of Illinois authorized to provide care for children outside their own homes. The term "foster family home" does not include an "adoption-only home" as defined in Section 2.23 of this Act. The types of foster family homes are defined as follows:

(a) "Boarding home" means a foster family home which receives payment for regular full-time care of a child or children.

(b) "Free home" means a foster family home other than an adoptive home which does not receive payments for the care of a child or children.

(c) "Adoptive home" means a foster family home which receives a child or children for the purpose of adopting the child or children.

(d) "Work-wage home" means a foster family home which receives a child or children who pay part or all of their board by rendering some services to the family not prohibited by the Child Labor Law or by standards or regulations of the Department prescribed under this Act. The child or children may receive a wage in connection with the services rendered the foster family.

(e) "Agency-supervised home" means a foster family home under the direct and regular supervision of a licensed child welfare agency, of the Department of Children and Family Services, of a circuit court, or of any other State agency which has authority to place children in child care facilities, and which receives no more than 8 children, unless of common parentage, who are placed and are regularly supervised by one of the specified agencies.

(f) "Independent home" means a foster family home, other than an adoptive home, which receives no more than 4 children, unless of common parentage, directly from parents, or other legally responsible persons, by independent arrangement and which is not subject to direct and regular supervision of a specified agency except as such supervision pertains to licensing by the Department.

(Source: P.A. 92-318, eff. 1-1-02.)

(225 ILCS 10/4) (from Ch. 23, par. 2214)

Sec. 4. License requirement; application; notice.

(a) Any person, group of persons or corporation who or which receives children or arranges for care or placement of one or more children unrelated to the operator must apply for a license to operate one of the types of facilities defined in Sections 2.05 through 2.19 and in Section 2.22 of this Act. Any relative, as defined in Section 2.17 of this Act, who receives a child or children for placement by the Department on a full-time basis may apply for a license to operate a foster family home as defined in Section 2.17 of this Act.

(a-5) Any agency, person, group of persons, association, organization, corporation, institution, center, or group providing adoption services must be licensed by the Department as a child welfare agency as defined in Section 2.08 of this Act. "Providing adoption services" as used in this Act, includes facilitating or engaging in adoption services.

(b) Application for a license to operate a child care facility must be made to the Department in the manner and on forms prescribed by it. An application to operate a foster family home shall include, at a minimum: a completed written form; written authorization by the applicant and all adult members of the applicant's household to conduct a criminal background investigation; medical evidence in the form of a medical report, on forms prescribed by the Department, that the applicant and all members of the household are free from communicable diseases or physical and mental conditions that affect their ability to provide care for the child or children; the names and addresses of at least 3 persons not related to the applicant who can attest to the applicant's moral character; and fingerprints submitted by the applicant and all adult members of the applicant's household.

(c) The Department shall notify the public when a child care institution, maternity center, or group home licensed by the Department undergoes a change in (i) the range of care or services offered at the facility, (ii) the age or type of children served, or (iii) the area within the facility used by children. The Department shall notify the public of the change in a newspaper of general circulation in the county or municipality in which the applicant's facility is or is proposed to be located.

(d) If, upon examination of the facility and investigation of persons responsible for care of children, the Department is satisfied that the facility and responsible persons reasonably meet standards prescribed for the type of facility for which application is made, it shall issue a license in proper form, designating on that license the type of child care facility and, except for a child welfare agency, the number of children to be served at any one time.

(e) The Department shall not issue or renew the license of any child welfare agency providing adoption services, unless the agency (i) is officially recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or any successor provision of federal tax law) and (ii) is in compliance with all of the standards necessary to maintain its status as an organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or any successor provision of federal tax law). The Department shall grant a grace period of 24 months from the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly for existing child welfare agencies providing adoption services to obtain 501(c)(3) status. The Department shall permit an existing child welfare agency that converts from its current structure in order to be recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization as required by this Section to either retain its current license or transfer its current license to a newly formed entity, if the creation of a new entity is required in order to comply with this Section, provided that the child welfare agency demonstrates that it continues to meet all other licensing requirements and that the principal officers and directors and programs of the converted child welfare agency or newly organized child welfare agency are substantially the same as the original. The Department shall have the sole discretion to grant a one year extension to any agency unable to obtain 501(c)(3) status within the timeframe specified in this subsection (e), provided that such agency has filed an application for 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service within the 2-year timeframe specified in this subsection (e).

(Source: P.A. 94-586, eff. 8-15-05.)

(225 ILCS 10/5) (from Ch. 23, par. 2215)

Sec. 5. (a) In respect to child care institutions, maternity centers, child welfare agencies, day care centers, day care agencies and group homes, the Department, upon receiving application filed in proper order, shall examine the facilities and persons responsible for care of children therein.

(b) In respect to foster family and day care homes, applications may be filed on behalf of such homes by a licensed child welfare agency, by a State agency authorized to place children in foster care or by out-of-State agencies approved by the Department to place children in this State. In respect to day care homes, applications may be filed on behalf of such homes by a licensed day care agency or licensed child welfare agency. In applying for license in behalf of a home in which children are placed by and remain under supervision of the applicant agency, such agency shall certify that the home and persons responsible for care of unrelated children therein, or the home and relatives, as defined in Section 2.17 of this Act, responsible for the care of related children therein, were found to be in reasonable compliance with standards prescribed by the Department for the type of care indicated.

(c) The Department shall not allow any person to examine facilities under a provision of this Act who has not passed an examination demonstrating that such person is familiar with this Act and with the appropriate standards and regulations of the Department.

(d) With the exception of day care centers, day care homes, and group day care homes, licenses shall be issued in such form and manner as prescribed by the Department and are valid for 4 years from the date issued, unless revoked by the Department or voluntarily surrendered by the licensee. Licenses issued for day care centers, day care homes, and group day care homes shall be valid for 3 years from the date issued, unless revoked by the Department or voluntarily surrendered by the licensee. When a licensee has made timely and sufficient application for the renewal of a license or a new license with reference to any activity of a continuing nature, the existing license shall continue in full force and effect for up to 30 days until the final agency decision on the application has been made. The Department may further extend the period in which such decision must be made in individual cases for up to 30 days, but such extensions shall be only upon good cause shown.

(e) The Department may issue one 6-month permit to a newly established facility for child care to allow that facility reasonable time to become eligible for a full license. If the facility for child care is a foster family home, or day care home the Department may issue one 2-month permit only.

(f) The Department may issue an emergency permit to a child care facility taking in children as a result of the temporary closure for more than 2 weeks of a licensed child care facility due to a natural disaster. An emergency permit under this subsection shall be issued to a facility only if the persons providing child care services at the facility were employees of the temporarily closed day care center at the time it was closed. No investigation of an employee of a child care facility receiving an emergency permit under this subsection shall be required if that employee has previously been investigated at another child care facility. No emergency permit issued under this subsection shall be valid for more than 90 days after the date of issuance.

(g) During the hours of operation of any licensed child care facility, authorized representatives of the Department may without notice visit the facility for the purpose of determining its continuing compliance with this Act or regulations adopted pursuant thereto.

(h) Day care centers, day care homes, and group day care homes shall be monitored at least annually by a licensing representative from the Department or the agency that recommended licensure.

(Source: P.A. 89-21, eff. 7-1-95; 89-263, eff. 8-10-95; 89-626, eff. 8-9-96.)"; and

on page 2, line 23, after "Act", by inserting the following:

"or whose parent has signed a denial of paternity pursuant to Section 12 of the Vital Records Act or Section 12a of this Act"; and

on page 13, line 26, by deleting "or "co-parent""; and

on page 14, line 5, after "Act", by inserting "or Section 12a of this Act"; and

on page 14, line 8, by changing "or waiver" to "waiver, or denial"; and

on page 20, line 4, after "Act", by inserting the following:

"or a waiver pursuant to Section 10 of this Act"; and

on page 22, by replacing lines 2 through 8 with the following:

"B. The residence requirement specified in paragraph A of this Section shall not apply to:

(a) an adoption of a related child;

(b) an adoption of a child placed by an agency: or

(c) an adoption in which the child to be adopted has resided in this State: (1) for a period of 6 months immediately preceding the commencement of the adoption proceeding; or (2) since birth if the child is not yet 6 months of age.

The residence requirement specified in paragraph A of this Section shall not apply to an adoption of a related child or to an adoption of a child placed by an agency.".