State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

   [ Search ]   [ PDF text ]   [ Legislation ]   
[ Home ]   [ Back ]   [ Bottom ]


[ Introduced ][ Senate Amendment 001 ]


92_SB0844sam002

 










                                          SRS92SB0844JJapam02

 1                    AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 844

 2        AMENDMENT NO.     .  Amend Senate Bill 844,  AS  AMENDED,
 3    as follows:

 4    by  replacing  everything  after the enacting clause with the
 5    following:

 6        "Section 5.  The  Probate  Act  of  1975  is  amended  by
 7    changing Sections 11-3, 11-5, 11-6, and 11-7 as follows:

 8        (755 ILCS 5/11-3) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 11-3)
 9        Sec. 11-3.  Who may act as guardian.
10        (a)  A person who is not a relative of the minor, who has
11    attained  the  age  of  18 years, is a resident of the United
12    States, is not of unsound mind, is not an  adjudged  disabled
13    person  as  defined  in this Act, has not been convicted of a
14    felony, and who the court finds is capable  of  providing  an
15    active  and suitable program of guardianship for the minor is
16    qualified to act as guardian of the person and as guardian of
17    the estate.  One person may  be  appointed  guardian  of  the
18    person and another person appointed guardian of the estate.
19        (a-5)  A  person  who is a relative of the minor, who has
20    attained the age of 18 years, is a  resident  of  the  United
21    States,  is  not of unsound mind, is not an adjudged disabled
 
                            -2-           SRS92SB0844JJapam02
 1    person as defined in this Act, has not been  convicted  of  a
 2    felony  or  incarcerated  for  a  felony conviction within 10
 3    years  preceding  the  commencement   of   the   guardianship
 4    proceeding,  and  who  has  never  been convicted of a felony
 5    involving harm or threat  to  a  child  or  a  felony  sexual
 6    offense  as defined in the Criminal Code of 1961; and who the
 7    court finds is capable of providing an  active  and  suitable
 8    program  of guardianship for the minor is qualified to act as
 9    guardian of the person and as guardian of  the  estate.   The
10    court  shall  conduct a best-interest hearing in all cases in
11    which a proposed guardian has been convicted of a  felony  or
12    incarcerated for a felony conviction more than 10 years prior
13    to  the  commencement of the guardianship proceeding.  If the
14    court finds that it is in the best interests of the minor  to
15    appoint  the  guardian,  the court shall state in writing the
16    factual bases supporting its  finding.   One  person  may  be
17    appointed  guardian  of  the  person  and  another  appointed
18    guardian of the estate.
19        (b)  The  Department  of Human Services or the Department
20    of Children and Family Services may with the approval of  the
21    court designate one of its employees to serve without fees as
22    guardian  of  the estate of a minor patient in a State mental
23    hospital or a resident in a State institution when the  value
24    of the personal estate does not exceed $1,000.
25    (Source:  P.A.  89-507,  eff.  7-1-97;  90-430, eff. 8-16-97;
26    90-472, eff. 8-17-97.)

27        (755 ILCS 5/11-5) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 11-5)
28        Sec. 11-5. Appointment of guardian.
29        (a)  Upon the filing of a petition for the appointment of
30    a guardian or on its own motion,  the  court  may  appoint  a
31    guardian,  who is either a relative or a non-relative, of the
32    estate or of both the person and estate, of a minor,  or  may
33    appoint  a  guardian of the person only of a minor or minors,
 
                            -3-           SRS92SB0844JJapam02
 1    as the court finds to be in the best interest of the minor or
 2    minors. Circumstances in which a court may appoint a guardian
 3    for an unmarried minor include but are not limited to:
 4             (1)  The parental rights  of  both  parents  or  the
 5        surviving  parent  are terminated or suspended by a prior
 6        court order, by  judgment  of  divorce,  by  judgment  of
 7        custody,  by  legal  separation,  by  death,  by judicial
 8        determination of mental incompetency,  by  disappearance,
 9        or by confinement in a place of detention; or
10             (2)  The  parent  or  parents  permit  the  minor to
11        reside with another person and do not provide  the  other
12        person  with  legal  authority  for  the minor's care and
13        maintenance, and the minor is not residing  with  his  or
14        her  parent or parents at the time the petition is filed;
15        or
16             (3)  When all of the following conditions exist:
17                  (i)  The minor's biological parents have  never
18             been  married  to one another, and there has been no
19             judicial finding of paternity; and
20                  (ii)  The minor's parent who has custody of the
21             minor dies or is missing and the  other  parent  has
22             not  been  granted  legal custody under court order;
23             and
24                  (iii)  The person whom the petition asks to  be
25             appointed guardian is related to the minor.
26        (a-1)  A  parent,  adoptive parent or adjudicated parent,
27    whose parental rights have not been terminated, may designate
28    in any writing, including a will, a person, who is  either  a
29    relative or non-relative, qualified to act under Section 11-3
30    to be appointed as guardian of the person or estate, or both,
31    of  an  unmarried  minor  or of a child likely to be born.  A
32    parent, adoptive parent or adjudicated parent, whose parental
33    rights have not been terminated, or a guardian or  a  standby
34    guardian  of  an  unmarried  minor or of a child likely to be
 
                            -4-           SRS92SB0844JJapam02
 1    born may designate in any writing, including a will, a person
 2    qualified to act  under  Section  11-3  to  be  appointed  as
 3    successor  guardian of the minor's person or estate, or both.
 4    The designation must be  witnessed  by  2  or  more  credible
 5    witnesses  at  least  18 years of age, neither of whom is the
 6    person designated as the guardian.  The  designation  may  be
 7    proved  by  any  competent  evidence.   If the designation is
 8    executed and attested in the same manner as a will, it  shall
 9    have  prima  facie validity. The designation of a guardian or
10    successor guardian does not affect the rights  of  the  other
11    parent in the minor.
12        (b)  The   court  lacks  jurisdiction  to  proceed  on  a
13    petition for the appointment of a guardian of a minor if  (i)
14    the minor has a living parent, adoptive parent or adjudicated
15    parent, whose parental rights have not been terminated, whose
16    whereabouts  are  known,  and who is willing and able to make
17    and carry out day-to-day child care decisions concerning  the
18    minor,   unless   the   parent  or  parents  consent  to  the
19    appointment or, after receiving notice of the  hearing  under
20    Section  11-10.1,  fail  to  object to the appointment at the
21    hearing on the petition or (ii) there is a guardian  for  the
22    minor  appointed by a court of competent jurisdiction.  There
23    shall be a rebuttable presumption that a parent of a minor is
24    willing and able to make and carry out day-to-day child  care
25    decisions  concerning  the  minor, but the presumption may be
26    rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence.
27        (b-1)  If the court finds the appointment of  a  guardian
28    of  the minor to be in the best interest of the minor, and if
29    a standby guardian has  previously  been  appointed  for  the
30    minor  under  Section  11-5.3,  the  court  shall appoint the
31    standby guardian as the guardian of the person or estate,  or
32    both,  of  the  minor unless the court finds, upon good cause
33    shown, that the appointment would no longer be  in  the  best
34    interest of the minor.
 
                            -5-           SRS92SB0844JJapam02
 1        (c)  If  the  minor is 14 years of age or more, the minor
 2    may nominate the guardian of the minor's person  and  estate,
 3    subject  to  approval of the court. If the minor's nominee is
 4    not approved by the court or if, after notice to  the  minor,
 5    the  minor fails to nominate a guardian of the minor's person
 6    or  estate,  the  court  may  appoint  the  guardian  without
 7    nomination.
 8        (d)  The court shall  not  appoint  as  guardian  of  the
 9    person  of the minor any person whom the court has determined
10    had caused or substantially contributed to the minor becoming
11    a neglected or abused minor as defined in the Juvenile  Court
12    Act of 1987 unless 2 years have elapsed since the last proven
13    incident  of  abuse  or neglect and the court determines that
14    appointment of  such  person  as  guardian  is  in  the  best
15    interests of the minor.
16        (e)  Previous  statements  made  by the minor relating to
17    any allegations that the minor  is  an  abused  or  neglected
18    child  within  the  meaning of the Abused and Neglected Child
19    Reporting Act, or an abused or  neglected  minor  within  the
20    meaning   of  the  Juvenile  Court  Act  of  1987,  shall  be
21    admissible in evidence in a hearing concerning appointment of
22    a guardian of the person or estate of  the  minor.   No  such
23    statement,  however,  if  uncorroborated  and  not subject to
24    cross-examination, shall be sufficient in itself to support a
25    finding of abuse or neglect.
26    (Source: P.A. 90-430, eff.  8-16-97;  90-472,  eff.  8-17-97;
27    90-796, eff. 12-15-98.)

28        (755 ILCS 5/11-6) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 11-6)
29        Sec.  11-6.  Venue.)   If the minor is a resident of this
30    State, the proceeding shall be instituted in the court of the
31    county in which he resides.  If the minor is not  a  resident
32    of  this  State,  the  proceeding  shall be instituted in the
33    court of a county in which his real  or  personal  estate  is
 
                            -6-           SRS92SB0844JJapam02
 1    located.  If  the  minor  is  the  subject of a proceeding in
 2    juvenile court, the proceeding may be instituted in the court
 3    of the county in  which  the  juvenile  court  proceeding  is
 4    pending or in the county where the minor resides.
 5    (Source: P.A. 80-1415.)

 6        (755 ILCS 5/11-7) (from Ch. 110 1/2, par. 11-7)
 7        Sec. 11-7. Parental right to custody.)
 8        (a)  In  all  cases  except  cases  in  which  there is a
 9    concurrent juvenile court proceeding, if  the  birth  parents
10    were not married at the time of the minor's birth or if there
11    has  never  been  a  finding  of  paternity,  the court shall
12    conduct a hearing to determine paternity.
13        (b)  If both parents  of  a  minor  are  living  and  are
14    competent to transact their own business and are fit persons,
15    they  are  entitled to the custody of the person of the minor
16    and the direction of his education. If one parent is dead and
17    the  surviving  parent  is  competent  to  transact  his  own
18    business and is a fit person, he is similarly  entitled.  The
19    parents  have  equal powers, rights and duties concerning the
20    minor. If the parents live apart, the court for  good  reason
21    may  award  the custody and education of the minor  to either
22    parent or to some other person.
23    (Source: P.A. 79-328.)".

[ Top ]