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Illinois Senate Bill SB1642

Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois Senate Bill SB1642 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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11 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1642 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Terri Bryant SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 750 ILCS 5/602.9 Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Provides that, in addition to the factors the court shall consider when determining whether to grant visitation to certain non-parents, the court shall also consider whether there exist any other facts that establish that the loss of the relationship between the grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, or step-parent and the child is likely to harm the child. LRB104 03764 JRC 13788 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1642 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Terri Bryant SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 750 ILCS 5/602.9 750 ILCS 5/602.9 Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Provides that, in addition to the factors the court shall consider when determining whether to grant visitation to certain non-parents, the court shall also consider whether there exist any other facts that establish that the loss of the relationship between the grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, or step-parent and the child is likely to harm the child. LRB104 03764 JRC 13788 b LRB104 03764 JRC 13788 b A BILL FOR
22 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1642 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Terri Bryant SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
33 750 ILCS 5/602.9 750 ILCS 5/602.9
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55 Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Provides that, in addition to the factors the court shall consider when determining whether to grant visitation to certain non-parents, the court shall also consider whether there exist any other facts that establish that the loss of the relationship between the grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, or step-parent and the child is likely to harm the child.
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1111 1 AN ACT concerning civil law.
1212 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
1313 3 represented in the General Assembly:
1414 4 Section 5. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of
1515 5 Marriage Act is amended by changing Section 602.9 as follows:
1616 6 (750 ILCS 5/602.9)
1717 7 Sec. 602.9. Visitation by certain non-parents.
1818 8 (a) As used in this Section:
1919 9 (1) "electronic communication" means time that a
2020 10 grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, or step-parent
2121 11 spends with a child during which the child is not in the
2222 12 person's actual physical custody, but which is facilitated
2323 13 by the use of communication tools such as the telephone,
2424 14 electronic mail, instant messaging, video conferencing or
2525 15 other wired or wireless technologies via the Internet, or
2626 16 another medium of communication;
2727 17 (2) "sibling" means a brother or sister either of the
2828 18 whole blood or the half blood, stepbrother, or stepsister
2929 19 of the minor child;
3030 20 (3) "step-parent" means a person married to a child's
3131 21 parent, including a person married to the child's parent
3232 22 immediately prior to the parent's death; and
3333 23 (4) "visitation" means in-person time spent between a
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3737 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1642 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Terri Bryant SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3838 750 ILCS 5/602.9 750 ILCS 5/602.9
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4040 Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Provides that, in addition to the factors the court shall consider when determining whether to grant visitation to certain non-parents, the court shall also consider whether there exist any other facts that establish that the loss of the relationship between the grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, or step-parent and the child is likely to harm the child.
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6868 1 child and the child's grandparent, great-grandparent,
6969 2 sibling, step-parent, or any person designated under
7070 3 subsection (d) of Section 602.7. In appropriate
7171 4 circumstances, visitation may include electronic
7272 5 communication under conditions and at times determined by
7373 6 the court.
7474 7 (b) General provisions.
7575 8 (1) An appropriate person, as identified in subsection
7676 9 (c) of this Section, may bring an action in circuit court
7777 10 by petition, or by filing a petition in a pending
7878 11 dissolution proceeding or any other proceeding that
7979 12 involves parental responsibilities or visitation issues
8080 13 regarding the child, requesting visitation with the child
8181 14 pursuant to this Section. If there is not a pending
8282 15 proceeding involving parental responsibilities or
8383 16 visitation with the child, the petition for visitation
8484 17 with the child must be filed in the county in which the
8585 18 child resides. Notice of the petition shall be given as
8686 19 provided in subsection (c) of Section 601.2 of this Act.
8787 20 (2) This Section does not apply to a child:
8888 21 (A) in whose interests a petition is pending under
8989 22 Section 2-13 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987; or
9090 23 (B) in whose interests a petition to adopt by an
9191 24 unrelated person is pending under the Adoption Act; or
9292 25 (C) who has been voluntarily surrendered by the
9393 26 parent or parents, except for a surrender to the
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104104 1 Department of Children and Family Services or a foster
105105 2 care facility; or
106106 3 (D) who has been previously adopted by an
107107 4 individual or individuals who are not related to the
108108 5 biological parents of the child or who is the subject
109109 6 of a pending adoption petition by an individual or
110110 7 individuals who are not related to the biological
111111 8 parents of the child; or
112112 9 (E) who has been relinquished pursuant to the
113113 10 Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act.
114114 11 (3) A petition for visitation may be filed under this
115115 12 Section only if there has been an unreasonable denial of
116116 13 visitation by a parent and the denial has caused the child
117117 14 undue mental, physical, or emotional harm.
118118 15 (4) There is a rebuttable presumption that a fit
119119 16 parent's actions and decisions regarding grandparent,
120120 17 great-grandparent, sibling, or step-parent visitation are
121121 18 not harmful to the child's mental, physical, or emotional
122122 19 health. The burden is on the party filing a petition under
123123 20 this Section to prove that the parent's actions and
124124 21 decisions regarding visitation will cause undue harm to
125125 22 the child's mental, physical, or emotional health.
126126 23 (5) In determining whether to grant visitation, the
127127 24 court shall consider the following:
128128 25 (A) the wishes of the child, taking into account
129129 26 the child's maturity and ability to express reasoned
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140140 1 and independent preferences as to visitation;
141141 2 (B) the mental and physical health of the child;
142142 3 (C) the mental and physical health of the
143143 4 grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, or
144144 5 step-parent;
145145 6 (D) the length and quality of the prior
146146 7 relationship between the child and the grandparent,
147147 8 great-grandparent, sibling, or step-parent;
148148 9 (E) the good faith of the party in filing the
149149 10 petition;
150150 11 (F) the good faith of the person denying
151151 12 visitation;
152152 13 (G) the quantity of the visitation time requested
153153 14 and the potential adverse impact that visitation would
154154 15 have on the child's customary activities;
155155 16 (H) any other fact that establishes that the loss
156156 17 of the relationship between the petitioner and the
157157 18 child is likely to unduly harm the child's mental,
158158 19 physical, or emotional health; and
159159 20 (I) whether visitation can be structured in a way
160160 21 to minimize the child's exposure to conflicts between
161161 22 the adults.
162162 23 (6) Any visitation rights granted under this Section
163163 24 before the filing of a petition for adoption of the child
164164 25 shall automatically terminate by operation of law upon the
165165 26 entry of an order terminating parental rights or granting
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176176 1 the adoption of the child, whichever is earlier. If the
177177 2 person or persons who adopted the child are related to the
178178 3 child, as defined by Section 1 of the Adoption Act, any
179179 4 person who was related to the child as grandparent,
180180 5 great-grandparent, or sibling prior to the adoption shall
181181 6 have standing to bring an action under this Section
182182 7 requesting visitation with the child.
183183 8 (7) The court may order visitation rights for the
184184 9 grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, or step-parent
185185 10 that include reasonable access without requiring overnight
186186 11 or possessory visitation.
187187 12 (c) Visitation by grandparents, great-grandparents,
188188 13 step-parents, and siblings.
189189 14 (1) Grandparents, great-grandparents, step-parents,
190190 15 and siblings of a minor child who is one year old or older
191191 16 may bring a petition for visitation and electronic
192192 17 communication under this Section if there is an
193193 18 unreasonable denial of visitation by a parent that causes
194194 19 undue mental, physical, or emotional harm to the child and
195195 20 if at least one of the following conditions exists:
196196 21 (A) the child's other parent is deceased or has
197197 22 been missing for at least 90 days. For the purposes of
198198 23 this subsection a parent is considered to be missing
199199 24 if the parent's location has not been determined and
200200 25 the parent has been reported as missing to a law
201201 26 enforcement agency; or
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212212 1 (B) a parent of the child is incompetent as a
213213 2 matter of law; or
214214 3 (C) a parent has been incarcerated in jail or
215215 4 prison for a period in excess of 90 days immediately
216216 5 prior to the filing of the petition; or
217217 6 (D) the child's parents have been granted a
218218 7 dissolution of marriage or have been legally separated
219219 8 from each other or there is pending a dissolution
220220 9 proceeding involving a parent of the child or another
221221 10 court proceeding involving parental responsibilities
222222 11 or visitation of the child (other than an adoption
223223 12 proceeding of an unrelated child, a proceeding under
224224 13 Article II of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, or an
225225 14 action for an order of protection under the Illinois
226226 15 Domestic Violence Act of 1986 or Article 112A of the
227227 16 Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963) and at least one
228228 17 parent does not object to the grandparent,
229229 18 great-grandparent, step-parent, or sibling having
230230 19 visitation with the child. The visitation of the
231231 20 grandparent, great-grandparent, step-parent, or
232232 21 sibling must not diminish the parenting time of the
233233 22 parent who is not related to the grandparent,
234234 23 great-grandparent, step-parent, or sibling seeking
235235 24 visitation; or
236236 25 (E) (i) the child is born to parents who are not
237237 26 married to each other; (ii) the parents are not living
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248248 1 together; (iii) the petitioner is a grandparent,
249249 2 great-grandparent, step-parent, or sibling of the
250250 3 child; and (iv) the parent-child relationship has been
251251 4 legally established. For purposes of this subdivision
252252 5 (E), if the petitioner is a grandparent or
253253 6 great-grandparent, the parent-child relationship need
254254 7 be legally established only with respect to the parent
255255 8 who is related to the grandparent or
256256 9 great-grandparent. For purposes of this subdivision
257257 10 (E), if the petitioner is a step-parent, the
258258 11 parent-child relationship need be legally established
259259 12 only with respect to the parent who is married to the
260260 13 petitioner or was married to the petitioner
261261 14 immediately before the parent's death.
262262 15 (2) In addition to the factors set forth in
263263 16 subdivision (b)(5) of this Section, the court should
264264 17 consider:
265265 18 (A) whether the child resided with the petitioner
266266 19 for at least 6 consecutive months with or without a
267267 20 parent present;
268268 21 (B) whether the child had frequent and regular
269269 22 contact or visitation with the petitioner for at least
270270 23 12 consecutive months; and
271271 24 (C) whether the grandparent, great-grandparent,
272272 25 sibling, or step-parent was a primary caretaker of the
273273 26 child for a period of not less than 6 consecutive
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284284 1 months within the 24-month period immediately
285285 2 preceding the commencement of the proceeding; and
286286 3 (D) whether there exist any other facts that
287287 4 establish that the loss of the relationship between
288288 5 the grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, or
289289 6 step-parent and the child is likely to harm the child.
290290 7 (3) An order granting visitation privileges under this
291291 8 Section is subject to subsections (c) and (d) of Section
292292 9 603.10.
293293 10 (4) A petition for visitation privileges may not be
294294 11 filed pursuant to this subsection (c) by the parents or
295295 12 grandparents of a parent of the child if parentage between
296296 13 the child and the related parent has not been legally
297297 14 established.
298298 15 (d) Modification of visitation orders.
299299 16 (1) Unless by stipulation of the parties, no motion to
300300 17 modify a grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, or
301301 18 step-parent visitation order may be made earlier than 2
302302 19 years after the date the order was filed, unless the court
303303 20 permits it to be made on the basis of affidavits that there
304304 21 is reason to believe the child's present environment may
305305 22 endanger seriously the child's mental, physical, or
306306 23 emotional health.
307307 24 (2) The court shall not modify an order that grants
308308 25 visitation to a grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling,
309309 26 or step-parent unless it finds by clear and convincing
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320320 1 evidence, upon the basis of facts that have arisen since
321321 2 the prior visitation order or that were unknown to the
322322 3 court at the time of entry of the prior visitation order,
323323 4 that a change has occurred in the circumstances of the
324324 5 child or his or her parent, and that the modification is
325325 6 necessary to protect the mental, physical, or emotional
326326 7 health of the child. The court shall state in its decision
327327 8 specific findings of fact in support of its modification
328328 9 or termination of the grandparent, great-grandparent,
329329 10 sibling, or step-parent visitation. A child's parent may
330330 11 always petition to modify visitation upon changed
331331 12 circumstances when necessary to promote the child's best
332332 13 interests.
333333 14 (3) Notice of a motion requesting modification of a
334334 15 visitation order shall be provided as set forth in
335335 16 subsection (c) of Section 601.2 of this Act.
336336 17 (4) Attorney's fees and costs shall be assessed
337337 18 against a party seeking modification of the visitation
338338 19 order if the court finds that the modification action is
339339 20 vexatious and constitutes harassment.
340340 21 (e) No child's grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, or
341341 22 step-parent, or any person to whom the court is considering
342342 23 granting visitation privileges pursuant to subsection (d) of
343343 24 Section 602.7, who was convicted of any offense involving an
344344 25 illegal sex act perpetrated upon a victim less than 18 years of
345345 26 age including, but not limited to, offenses for violations of
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356356 1 Section 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-1.50, 11-1.60, 11-1.70,
357357 2 or Article 12 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code
358358 3 of 2012, is entitled to visitation while incarcerated or while
359359 4 on parole, probation, conditional discharge, periodic
360360 5 imprisonment, or mandatory supervised release for that
361361 6 offense, and upon discharge from incarceration for a
362362 7 misdemeanor offense or upon discharge from parole, probation,
363363 8 conditional discharge, periodic imprisonment, or mandatory
364364 9 supervised release for a felony offense. Visitation shall be
365365 10 denied until the person successfully completes a treatment
366366 11 program approved by the court. Upon completion of treatment,
367367 12 the court may deny visitation based on the factors listed in
368368 13 subdivision (b)(5) of this Section.
369369 14 (f) No child's grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, or
370370 15 step-parent, or any person to whom the court is considering
371371 16 granting visitation privileges pursuant to subsection (d) of
372372 17 Section 602.7, may be granted visitation if he or she has been
373373 18 convicted of first degree murder of a parent, grandparent,
374374 19 great-grandparent, or sibling of the child who is the subject
375375 20 of the visitation request. Pursuant to a motion to modify
376376 21 visitation, the court shall revoke visitation rights
377377 22 previously granted to any person who would otherwise be
378378 23 entitled to petition for visitation rights under this Section
379379 24 or granted visitation under subsection (d) of Section 602.7,
380380 25 if the person has been convicted of first degree murder of a
381381 26 parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, or sibling of the
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