Public Act 90-0023 of the 90th General Assembly

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Public Act 90-0023

SB102 Enrolled                                 LRB9000808RCks

    AN ACT to amend the Illinois Parentage  Act  of  1984  by
changing Sections 9.1 and 18.

    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 Sections 9.1 and 18 as follows:

    (750 ILCS 45/9.1) (from Ch. 40, par. 2509.1)
    Sec. 9.1.  Notice to Presumed Father. (a) In  any  action
brought  under  Section  6  or  7  of  this Act where the man
signing the petition for an order establishing the  existence
of  the  parent  and child relationship by consent or the man
alleged to be the father in a complaint is different  from  a
man  who  is presumed to be father of the child under Section
5, a notice shall be served on the  presumed  father  in  the
same   manner   as   summonses  are  served  in  other  civil
proceedings or, in lieu of personal service, service  may  be
made as follows:
    (1)  The  person requesting notice shall pay to the Clerk
of the Court a mailing fee of $1.50 and furnish to the  Clerk
an  original  and  one  copy  of  a  notice  together with an
affidavit setting forth  the  presumed  father's  last  known
address.  The original notice shall be retained by the Clerk.
    (2)  The  Clerk  shall  promptly  mail  to  the  presumed
father,  at  the address appearing in the affidavit, the copy
of the notice, certified mail, return receipt requested.  The
envelope and return receipt shall bear the return address  of
the  Clerk.   The  receipt for certified mail shall state the
name and address of the addressee, and the date  of  mailing,
and shall be attached to the original notice.
    (3)  The  return  receipt,  when  returned  to the Clerk,
shall  be  attached  to  the  original  notice,   and   shall
constitute proof of service.
    (4)  The  Clerk  shall  note  the  fact  of  service in a
permanent record.
    (b)  The notice shall read as follows:
    IN THE MATTER OF NOTICE TO .......... PRESUMED FATHER.
    You have  been  identified  as  the  presumed  father  of
......... born on .........
    The mother of the child is .........
    An  action  is  being brought to establish the parent and
child relationship between the named child and a man named by
the mother, .........
    Under the law, you are presumed to be the father  if  (1)
you  and  the child's mother are or have been married to each
other, and  the  child  was  born  or  conceived  during  the
marriage;  or  if  (2)  upon  the  child's birth, you and the
child's mother married each other and you  were  named,  with
your  consent,  as  the  child's  father on the child's birth
certificate.
    As the presumed father, you  have  certain  legal  rights
with  respect  to  the  named  child,  including the right to
notice of  the  filing  of  proceedings  instituted  for  the
establishment  of parentage of said child and if named as the
father in a petition to establish  parentage,  the  right  to
submit,  along with the mother and child, to deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA) tests to determine inherited characteristics.   If
you  wish  to  retain your rights with respect to said child,
you must file  with  the  Clerk  of  this  Circuit  Court  of
.........   County,   Illinois  whose  address  is  ........,
Illinois, within 30 days after the date of  receipt  of  this
notice,  a  declaration of parentage stating that you are, in
fact, the father of said child and that you intend to  retain
your  legal  rights with respect to said child, or request to
be notified of any further proceedings with  respect  to  the
parentage of said child.
    If  you  do  not file such declaration of parentage, or a
request for notice, then whatever legal rights you have  with
respect  to the named child, including the right to notice of
any future proceedings for the establishment of parentage  of
the  child,  may  be terminated without any further notice to
you.  When your legal rights with respect to the named  child
are  so terminated, you will not be entitled to notice of any
future proceedings.
    (c)  The notice to presumed fathers provided for in  this
Section  in  any  action  brought by a public agency shall be
prepared and mailed by such public agency and the mailing fee
to the Clerk shall be waived.
(Source: P.A. 84-848.)

    (750 ILCS 45/18) (from Ch. 40, par. 2518)
    Sec. 18.  Right to Counsel; Free  Transcript  on  Appeal.
(a)   Any   party  may  be  represented  by  counsel  at  all
proceedings under this Act.  In the  best  interests  of  the
child,  the  court  may  appoint counsel to represent a child
whose parentage is at issue.
    (b)  Upon the request of a mother  or  child  seeking  to
establish  the  existence of a father and child relationship,
the State's Attorney shall represent the mother or  child  in
the  trial  court.   If  the  child  is an applicant for or a
recipient of assistance as defined in  Section  2-6  of  "The
Illinois  Public  Aid  Code",  approved  April  11,  1967, as
amended, or has applied to the Illinois Department of  Public
Aid for services under Article X of such Code, the Department
may  file  a  complaint in the child's behalf under this Act.
The Department shall refer the complaint to  the  Public  Aid
Claims  Enforcement  Division  of  the Office of the Attorney
General as provided in Section 12-16 of "The Illinois  Public
Aid  Code"  for  enforcement  by  the Attorney General. Legal
representation  by  the  State's  Attorney  or  the  Attorney
General shall be limited to the establishment and enforcement
of an order for support, and shall not extend to  visitation,
custody,  property or other matters.  If visitation, custody,
property  or  other  matters  are  raised  by  a  party   and
considered by the court in any proceeding under this Act, the
court  shall  provide  a continuance sufficient to enable the
mother or child to obtain representation for such matters.
    (c)  The Court may shall appoint the Public Defender,  or
if  there  is  no Public Defender other counsel, to represent
any indigent defendant in the trial court, except  that  this
representation  shall  be  limited  to the establishment of a
parent and child relationship and an order for  support,  and
shall   not   extend   to   visitation,   custody,  property,
enforcement of an order for support, or  other  matters.   If
visitation,  custody, property or other matters are raised by
a party and considered by the court in any  proceeding  under
this Act, the court shall provide a continuance sufficient to
enable  the  defendant  to  obtain  representation  for  such
matters.
    (d)    The court shall furnish on request of any indigent
party a transcript for purposes of appeal.
(Source: P.A. 86-522.)

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