Illinois Code § 10-17.7

§ 10-17.7.

Administrative determination of paternity. The Illinois Department may provide by rule for the administrative determination of paternity by the Child and Spouse Support Unit in cases involving applicants for or recipients of financial aid under Article IV of this Act and other persons who are given access to the child support enforcement services of this Article as provided in Section 10-1, including persons similarly situated and receiving similar services in other states. The rules shall extend to cases in which the mother and alleged father voluntarily acknowledge paternity in the form required by the Illinois Department or agree to be bound by the results of genetic testing or in which the alleged father has failed to respond to a notification of support obligation issued under Section 10-4 and to cases of contested paternity. The Illinois Department's form for voluntary acknowledgement of paternity shall be the same form prepared by the Illinois Department for use under the requirements of Section 12 of the Vital Records Act. Any presumption provided for under the Illinois Parentage Act of 1984 or under the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015 on and after the effective date of that Act shall apply to cases in which paternity is determined under the rules of the Illinois Department. The rules shall provide for notice and an opportunity to be heard by the responsible relative and the person receiving child support enforcement services under this Article if paternity is not voluntarily acknowledged, and any final administrative decision rendered by the Illinois Department shall be reviewed only under and in accordance with the Administrative Review Law. Determinations of paternity made by the Illinois Department under the rules authorized by this Section shall have the full force and effect of a court judgment of paternity entered under the Illinois Parentage Act of 1984 or under the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015. In determining paternity in contested cases, the Illinois Department shall conduct the evidentiary hearing in accordance with Article 4 of the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015, except that references in that Article to "the court" shall be deemed to mean the Illinois Department's hearing officer in cases in which paternity is determined administratively by the Illinois Department. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, a default determination of paternity may be made if service of the notice under Section 10-4 was made by publication under the rules for administrative paternity determination authorized by this Section. The rules as they pertain to service by publication shall (i) be based on the provisions of Section 2-206 and 2-207 of the Code of Civil Procedure, (ii) provide for service by publication in cases in which the whereabouts of the alleged father are unknown after diligent location efforts by the Child and Spouse Support Unit, and (iii) provide for publication of a notice of default paternity determination in the same manner that the notice under Section 10-4 was published. The Illinois Department may implement this Section through the use of emergency rules in accordance with Section 5-45 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. For purposes of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, the adoption of rules to implement this Section shall be considered an emergency and necessary for the public interest, safety, and welfare. (Source: P.A. 99-85, eff. 1-1-16.)