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92_HB2298
LRB9205094ARsb
1 AN ACT concerning child support.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of
5 Marriage Act is amended by changing Section 505 as follows:
6 (750 ILCS 5/505) (from Ch. 40, par. 505)
7 Sec. 505. Child support; contempt; penalties.
8 (a) In a proceeding for dissolution of marriage, legal
9 separation, declaration of invalidity of marriage, a
10 proceeding for child support following dissolution of the
11 marriage by a court which lacked personal jurisdiction over
12 the absent spouse, a proceeding for modification of a
13 previous order for child support under Section 510 of this
14 Act, or any proceeding authorized under Section 501 or 601 of
15 this Act, the court may order either or both parents owing a
16 duty of support to a child of the marriage to pay an amount
17 reasonable and necessary for his support, without regard to
18 marital misconduct. The duty of support owed to a minor
19 child includes the obligation to provide for the reasonable
20 and necessary physical, mental and emotional health needs of
21 the child.
22 (1) The Court shall determine the minimum amount of
23 support by using the following guidelines:
24 Number of Children Percent of Supporting Party's
25 Net Income
26 1 20%
27 2 25%
28 3 32%
29 4 40%
30 5 45%
31 6 or more 50%
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1 (2) The above guidelines shall be applied in each
2 case unless the court makes a finding that application of
3 the guidelines would be inappropriate, after considering
4 the best interests of the child in light of evidence
5 including but not limited to one or more of the following
6 relevant factors:
7 (a) the financial resources and needs of the
8 child;
9 (b) the financial resources and needs of the
10 custodial parent;
11 (c) the standard of living the child would
12 have enjoyed had the marriage not been dissolved;
13 (d) the physical and emotional condition of
14 the child, and his educational needs; and
15 (e) the financial resources and needs of the
16 non-custodial parent.
17 If the court deviates from the guidelines, the
18 court's finding shall state the amount of support that
19 would have been required under the guidelines, if
20 determinable. The court shall include the reason or
21 reasons for the variance from the guidelines.
22 (3) "Net income" is defined as the total of all
23 income from all sources, minus the following deductions:
24 (a) Federal income tax (properly calculated
25 withholding or estimated payments);
26 (b) State income tax (properly calculated
27 withholding or estimated payments);
28 (c) Social Security (FICA payments);
29 (d) Mandatory retirement contributions
30 required by law or as a condition of employment;
31 (e) Union dues;
32 (f) Dependent and individual
33 health/hospitalization insurance premiums;
34 (g) Prior obligations of support or
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1 maintenance actually paid pursuant to a court order;
2 (h) Expenditures for repayment of debts that
3 represent reasonable and necessary expenses for the
4 production of income, medical expenditures necessary
5 to preserve life or health, reasonable expenditures
6 for the benefit of the child and the other parent,
7 exclusive of gifts. The court shall reduce net
8 income in determining the minimum amount of support
9 to be ordered only for the period that such payments
10 are due and shall enter an order containing
11 provisions for its self-executing modification upon
12 termination of such payment period.
13 (4) In cases where the court order provides for
14 health/hospitalization insurance coverage pursuant to
15 Section 505.2 of this Act, the premiums for that
16 insurance, or that portion of the premiums for which the
17 supporting party is responsible in the case of insurance
18 provided through an employer's health insurance plan
19 where the employer pays a portion of the premiums, shall
20 be subtracted from net income in determining the minimum
21 amount of support to be ordered.
22 (4.5) In a proceeding for child support following
23 dissolution of the marriage by a court that lacked
24 personal jurisdiction over the absent spouse, and in
25 which the court is requiring payment of support for the
26 period before the date an order for current support is
27 entered, there is a rebuttable presumption that the
28 supporting party's net income for the prior period was
29 the same as his or her net income at the time the order
30 for current support is entered.
31 (5) If the net income cannot be determined because
32 of default or any other reason, the court shall order
33 support in an amount considered reasonable in the
34 particular case. The final order in all cases shall
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1 state the support level in dollar amounts. However, if
2 the court finds that the child support amount cannot be
3 expressed exclusively as a dollar amount because all or a
4 portion of the payor's net income is uncertain as to
5 source, time of payment, or amount, the court may order a
6 percentage amount of support in addition to a specific
7 dollar amount and enter such other orders as may be
8 necessary to determine and enforce, on a timely basis,
9 the applicable support ordered.
10 (6) If (i) the non-custodial parent was properly
11 served with a request for discovery of financial
12 information relating to the non-custodial parent's
13 ability to provide child support, (ii) the non-custodial
14 parent failed to comply with the request, despite having
15 been ordered to do so by the court, and (iii) the
16 non-custodial parent is not present at the hearing to
17 determine support despite having received proper notice,
18 then any relevant financial information concerning the
19 non-custodial parent's ability to provide child support
20 that was obtained pursuant to subpoena and proper notice
21 shall be admitted into evidence without the need to
22 establish any further foundation for its admission.
23 (a-5) In an action to enforce an order for support based
24 on the respondent's failure to make support payments as
25 required by the order, notice of proceedings to hold the
26 respondent in contempt for that failure may be served on the
27 respondent by personal service or by regular mail addressed
28 to the respondent's last known address. The respondent's
29 last known address may be determined from records of the
30 clerk of the court, from the Federal Case Registry of Child
31 Support Orders, or by any other reasonable means.
32 (b) Failure of either parent to comply with an order to
33 pay support shall be punishable as in other cases of
34 contempt. In addition to other penalties provided by law the
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1 Court may, after finding the parent guilty of contempt, order
2 that the parent be:
3 (1) placed on probation with such conditions of
4 probation as the Court deems advisable;
5 (2) sentenced to periodic imprisonment for a period
6 not to exceed 6 months; provided, however, that the Court
7 may permit the parent to be released for periods of time
8 during the day or night to:
9 (A) work; or
10 (B) conduct a business or other self-employed
11 occupation.
12 The Court may further order any part or all of the
13 earnings of a parent during a sentence of periodic
14 imprisonment paid to the Clerk of the Circuit Court or to the
15 parent having custody or to the guardian having custody of
16 the minor children of the sentenced parent for the support of
17 said minor children until further order of the Court.
18 If there is a unity of interest and ownership sufficient
19 to render no financial separation between a non-custodial
20 parent and another person or persons or business entity, the
21 court may pierce the ownership veil of the person, persons,
22 or business entity to discover assets of the non-custodial
23 parent held in the name of that person, those persons, or
24 that business entity. The following circumstances are
25 sufficient to authorize a court to order discovery of the
26 assets of a person, persons, or business entity and to compel
27 the application of any discovered assets toward payment on
28 the judgment for support:
29 (1) the non-custodial parent and the person,
30 persons, or business entity maintain records together.
31 (2) the non-custodial parent and the person,
32 persons, or business entity fail to maintain an arms
33 length relationship between themselves with regard to any
34 assets.
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1 (3) the non-custodial parent transfers assets to
2 the person, persons, or business entity with the intent
3 to perpetrate a fraud on the custodial parent.
4 With respect to assets which are real property, no order
5 entered under this paragraph shall affect the rights of bona
6 fide purchasers, mortgagees, judgment creditors, or other
7 lien holders who acquire their interests in the property
8 prior to the time a notice of lis pendens pursuant to the
9 Code of Civil Procedure or a copy of the order is placed of
10 record in the office of the recorder of deeds for the county
11 in which the real property is located.
12 The court may also order in cases where the parent is 90
13 days or more delinquent in payment of support or has been
14 adjudicated in arrears in an amount equal to 90 days
15 obligation or more, that the parent's Illinois driving
16 privileges be suspended until the court determines that the
17 parent is in compliance with the order of support. The court
18 may also order that the parent be issued a family financial
19 responsibility driving permit that would allow limited
20 driving privileges for employment and medical purposes in
21 accordance with Section 7-702.1 of the Illinois Vehicle Code.
22 The clerk of the circuit court shall certify the order
23 suspending the driving privileges of the parent or granting
24 the issuance of a family financial responsibility driving
25 permit to the Secretary of State on forms prescribed by the
26 Secretary. Upon receipt of the authenticated documents, the
27 Secretary of State shall suspend the parent's driving
28 privileges until further order of the court and shall, if
29 ordered by the court, subject to the provisions of Section
30 7-702.1 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, issue a family
31 financial responsibility driving permit to the parent.
32 In addition to the penalties or punishment that may be
33 imposed under this Section, any person whose conduct
34 constitutes a violation of Section 15 of the Non-Support
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1 Punishment Act may be prosecuted under that Act, and a person
2 convicted under that Act may be sentenced in accordance with
3 that Act. The sentence may include but need not be limited
4 to a requirement that the person perform community service
5 under Section 50 of that Act or participate in a work
6 alternative program under Section 50 of that Act. A person
7 may not be required to participate in a work alternative
8 program under Section 50 of that Act if the person is
9 currently participating in a work program pursuant to Section
10 505.1 of this Act.
11 A support obligation, or any portion of a support
12 obligation, which becomes due and remains unpaid for 30 days
13 or more shall accrue interest at the rate of 9% per annum.
14 (c) A one-time charge of 20% is imposable upon the
15 amount of past-due child support owed on July 1, 1988 which
16 has accrued under a support order entered by the court. The
17 charge shall be imposed in accordance with the provisions of
18 Section 10-21 of the Illinois Public Aid Code and shall be
19 enforced by the court upon petition.
20 (d) Any new or existing support order entered by the
21 court under this Section shall be deemed to be a series of
22 judgments against the person obligated to pay support
23 thereunder, each such judgment to be in the amount of each
24 payment or installment of support and each such judgment to
25 be deemed entered as of the date the corresponding payment or
26 installment becomes due under the terms of the support order.
27 Each such judgment shall have the full force, effect and
28 attributes of any other judgment of this State, including the
29 ability to be enforced. A lien arises by operation of law
30 against the real and personal property of the noncustodial
31 parent for each installment of overdue support owed by the
32 noncustodial parent.
33 (e) When child support is to be paid through the clerk
34 of the court in a county of 1,000,000 inhabitants or less,
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1 the order shall direct the obligor to pay to the clerk, in
2 addition to the child support payments, all fees imposed by
3 the county board under paragraph (3) of subsection (u) of
4 Section 27.1 of the Clerks of Courts Act. Unless paid in
5 cash or pursuant to an order for withholding, the payment of
6 the fee shall be by a separate instrument from the support
7 payment and shall be made to the order of the Clerk.
8 (f) All orders for support, when entered or modified,
9 shall include a provision requiring the obligor to notify the
10 court and, in cases in which a party is receiving child and
11 spouse services under Article X of the Illinois Public Aid
12 Code, the Illinois Department of Public Aid, within 7 days,
13 (i) of the name and address of any new employer of the
14 obligor, (ii) whether the obligor has access to health
15 insurance coverage through the employer or other group
16 coverage and, if so, the policy name and number and the names
17 of persons covered under the policy, and (iii) of any new
18 residential or mailing address or telephone number of the
19 non-custodial parent. In any subsequent action to enforce a
20 support order, upon a sufficient showing that a diligent
21 effort has been made to ascertain the location of the
22 non-custodial parent, service of process or provision of
23 notice necessary in the case may be made at the last known
24 address of the non-custodial parent in any manner expressly
25 provided by the Code of Civil Procedure or this Act, which
26 service shall be sufficient for purposes of due process.
27 (g) An order for support shall include a date on which
28 the current support obligation terminates. The termination
29 date shall be no earlier than the date on which the child
30 covered by the order will attain the age of majority or
31 graduates from high school, as long as reasonable progress is
32 being made toward graduating, whichever occurs later, or is
33 otherwise emancipated. The order for support shall state that
34 the termination date does not apply to any arrearage that may
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1 remain unpaid on that date. Nothing in this subsection shall
2 be construed to prevent the court from modifying the order.
3 (h) An order entered under this Section shall include a
4 provision requiring the obligor to report to the obligee and
5 to the clerk of court within 10 days each time the obligor
6 obtains new employment, and each time the obligor's
7 employment is terminated for any reason. The report shall be
8 in writing and shall, in the case of new employment, include
9 the name and address of the new employer. Failure to report
10 new employment or the termination of current employment, if
11 coupled with nonpayment of support for a period in excess of
12 60 days, is indirect criminal contempt. For any obligor
13 arrested for failure to report new employment bond shall be
14 set in the amount of the child support that should have been
15 paid during the period of unreported employment. An order
16 entered under this Section shall also include a provision
17 requiring the obligor and obligee parents to advise each
18 other of a change in residence within 5 days of the change
19 except when the court finds that the physical, mental, or
20 emotional health of a party or that of a minor child, or
21 both, would be seriously endangered by disclosure of the
22 party's address.
23 (Source: P.A. 90-18, eff. 7-1-97; 90-476, eff. 1-1-98;
24 90-539, eff. 6-1-98; 90-655, eff. 7-30-98; 90-733, eff.
25 8-11-98; 91-113, eff. 7-15-99; 91-397, eff. 1-1-00; 91-655,
26 eff. 6-1-00; 91-767, eff. 6-9-00; revised 6-28-00.)
27 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
28 becoming law.