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1     AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Probate Act of 1975 is amended by changing
5 Sections 13-1, 13-3.1, and 13-5 and by adding Section 13-1.2 as
6 follows:
 
7     (755 ILCS 5/13-1)  (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 13-1)
8     Sec. 13-1. Appointment and term of public administrator and
9 public guardian.) Except as provided in Section 13-1.1, before
10 the first Monday of December, 1977 and every 4 years
11 thereafter, and as often as vacancies occur, the Governor, by
12 and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint in
13 each county a suitable person to serve as public administrator
14 and a suitable person to serve as public guardian of the
15 county. The Governor may appoint the same person to serve as
16 public guardian and public administrator in one or more
17 counties. In considering the number of counties of service for
18 any prospective public guardian or public administrator the
19 Governor may consider the population of the county and the
20 ability of the prospective public guardian or public
21 administrator to travel to multiple counties and manage estates
22 in multiple counties. Each person so appointed holds his office
23 for 4 years from the first Monday of December, 1977 and every 4

 

 

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1 years thereafter or until his successor is appointed and
2 qualified.
3 (Source: P.A. 81-1052.)
 
4     (755 ILCS 5/13-1.2 new)
5     Sec. 13-1.2. Certification requirement. Each person
6 appointed as a public guardian by the Governor shall be
7 certified as a National Certified Guardian by the Center for
8 Guardianship Certification within 6 months after his or her
9 appointment. The Guardianship and Advocacy Commission shall
10 provide public guardians with professional training
11 opportunities and facilitate testing and certification
12 opportunities at locations in Springfield and Chicago with the
13 Center for Guardianship Certification. The cost of
14 certification shall be considered an expense connected with the
15 operation of the public guardian's office within the meaning of
16 subsection (b) of Section 13-3.1 of this Article.
 
17     (755 ILCS 5/13-3.1)  (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 13-3.1)
18     Sec. 13-3.1. (a) Compensation of public guardian.) In
19 counties having a population in excess of 1,000,000 the public
20 guardian shall be paid an annual salary, to be set by the
21 County Board at a figure not to exceed the salary of the public
22 defender for the county. All expenses connected with the
23 operation of the office shall be subject to the approval of the
24 County Board and shall be paid from the county treasury. All

 

 

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1 fees collected shall be paid into the county treasury.
2     (b) In counties having a population of 1,000,000 or less
3 the public guardian shall receive all the fees of his office
4 and bear the expenses connected with the operation of the
5 office. A public guardian shall be entitled to reasonable and
6 appropriate compensation for services related to guardianship
7 duties but all fees must be reviewed and approved by the court.
8 A public guardian may petition the court for the payment of
9 reasonable and appropriate fees. In counties having a
10 population of 1,000,000 or less, the public guardian shall do
11 so on not less than a yearly basis, or sooner as approved by
12 the court. Any fees or expenses charged by a public guardian
13 shall be documented through billings and maintained by the
14 guardian and supplied to the court for review. In considering
15 the reasonableness of any fee petition brought by a public
16 guardian under this Section, the court shall consider the
17 following:
18         (1) the powers and duties assigned to the public
19     guardian by the court;
20         (2) the necessity of any services provided;
21         (3) the time required, the degree of difficulty, and
22     the experience needed to complete the task;
23         (4) the needs of the ward and the costs of
24     alternatives; and
25         (5) other facts and circumstances material to the best
26     interests of the ward or his or her estate.

 

 

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1     (c) When the public guardian is appointed as the temporary
2 guardian of a disabled adult pursuant to an emergency petition
3 under circumstances when the court finds that the immediate
4 establishment of a temporary guardianship is necessary to
5 protect the disabled adult's health, welfare, or estate, the
6 public guardian shall be entitled to reasonable and appropriate
7 fees, as determined by the court, for the period of the
8 temporary guardianship, including fees directly associated
9 with establishing the temporary guardianship.
10 (Source: P.A. 81-1052.)
 
11     (755 ILCS 5/13-5)  (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 13-5)
12     Sec. 13-5. Powers and duties of public guardian.) The court
13 may appoint the public guardian as the guardian of any disabled
14 adult who is in need of a public guardian and whose estate
15 exceeds $25,000. When a disabled adult who has a smaller estate
16 is in need of guardianship services, the court shall appoint
17 the State guardian pursuant to Section 30 of the Guardianship
18 and Advocacy Act. If the public guardian is appointed guardian
19 of a disabled adult and the estate of the disabled adult is
20 thereafter reduced to less than $25,000, the court may, upon
21 the petition of the public guardian and the approval by the
22 court of a final accounting of the disabled adult's estate,
23 discharge the public guardian and transfer the guardianship to
24 the State guardian. The public guardian shall serve not less
25 than 14 days' notice to the State guardian of the hearing date

 

 

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1 regarding the transfer. When appointed by the court, the public
2 guardian has the same powers and duties as other guardians
3 appointed under this Act, with the following additions and
4 modifications:
5     (a) The public guardian shall monitor the ward and his care
6 and progress on a continuous basis. Monitoring shall at minimum
7 consist of monthly contact with the ward, and the receipt of
8 periodic reports from all individuals and agencies, public or
9 private, providing care or related services to the ward.
10     (b) Placement of a ward outside of the ward's home may be
11 made only after the public guardian or his representative has
12 visited the facility in which placement is proposed.
13     (c) The public guardian shall prepare an inventory of the
14 ward's belongings and assets and shall maintain insurance on
15 all of the ward's real and personal property. No personal
16 property shall be removed from the ward's possession except for
17 storage pending final placement or for liquidation in
18 accordance with this Act.
19     (d) The public guardian shall make no substantial
20 distribution of the ward's estate without a court order.
21     (e) The public guardian may liquidate assets of the ward to
22 pay for the costs of the ward's care and for storage of the
23 ward's personal property only after notice of such pending
24 action is given to all potential heirs at law, unless notice is
25 waived by the court; provided, however, that a person who has
26 been so notified may elect to pay for care or storage or to pay

 

 

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1 fair market value of the asset or assets sought to be sold in
2 lieu of liquidation.
3     (f) Real property of the ward may be sold at fair market
4 value after an appraisal of the property has been made by a
5 licensed appraiser; provided, however, that the ward's
6 residence may be sold only if the court finds that the ward is
7 not likely to be able to return home at a future date.
8     (g) The public guardian shall, at such intervals as the
9 court may direct, submit to the court an affidavit setting
10 forth in detail the services he has provided for the benefit of
11 the ward. The court shall set reasonable and appropriate fees
12 for such services. Except in a county that has a population
13 exceeding 3,000,000 people, the public guardian may petition
14 the court for the payment of reasonable and appropriate fees on
15 not less than a quarterly basis, or sooner as approved by the
16 court.
17     (h) Upon the death of the ward, the public guardian shall
18 turn over to the court-appointed administrator all of the
19 ward's assets and an account of his receipt and administration
20 of the ward's property. A guardian ad litem shall be appointed
21 for an accounting when the estate exceeds the amount set in
22 Section 25-1 of this Act for administration of small estates.
23     (i) (1) On petition of any person who appears to have an
24     interest in the estate, the court by temporary order may
25     restrain the public guardian from performing specified
26     acts of administration, disbursement or distribution, or

 

 

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1     from exercise of any powers or discharge of any duties of
2     his office, or make any other order to secure proper
3     performance of his duty, if it appears to the court that
4     the public guardian might otherwise take some action
5     contrary to the best interests of the ward. Persons with
6     whom the public guardian may transact business may be made
7     parties.
8         (2) The matter shall be set for hearing within 10 days
9     unless the parties otherwise agree or unless for good cause
10     shown the court determines that additional time is
11     required. Notice as the court directs shall be given to the
12     public guardian and his attorney of record, if any, and to
13     any other parties named defendant in the petition.
14     (j) On petition of the public guardian, the court in its
15 discretion may for good cause shown transfer guardianship to
16 the State guardian.
17     (k) No later than January 31 of each year, the public
18 guardian shall file an annual report with the clerk of the
19 Circuit Court, indicating, with respect to the period covered
20 by the report, the number of cases which he has handled, the
21 date on which each case was assigned, the date of termination
22 of each case which has been closed during the period, the
23 disposition of each terminated case, and the total amount of
24 fees collected during the period from each ward.
25     (l) (Blank). When the public guardian is appointed
26 temporary guardian of a disabled adult pursuant to an emergency

 

 

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1 petition under circumstances where the court finds that the
2 immediate establishment of a temporary guardianship is
3 necessary to protect the disabled adult's health, welfare, or
4 estate, the public guardian shall be entitled to reasonable and
5 appropriate fees, as determined by the court, for the period of
6 the temporary guardianship, including fees directly associated
7 with establishing the temporary guardianship.
8 (Source: P.A. 92-840, eff. 8-22-02.)