Cailee J. Alderman Contributes to Passage of IL Senate Bill 103 and Amendments to the Adoption Act
Due to her deep-seated knowledge regarding adoption law and her active membership within the Chicago Bar Association (CBA), Cailee J. Alderman was invited to join the legislative effort to draft and advance Illinois Senate Bill 103. The bill, which was passed into law in July 2025, concerns amendments to the Adoption Act to ensure stability for children in the adoption process.
As part of the drafting committee for the Bill, Cailee:
1. Corrected an oversight in court procedures in Section 7(c) of the Adoption Act, which governs who receives notice of the filing of an Adoption Petition. The revision clarifies that notice is not required for individuals who were presumed parents if a prior court has issued an order of non-parentage or termination of parental rights.
2. Added a requirement that, before filing a petition to adopt a youth in care, the petitioner must currently have placement of the child and must have obtained consent or other approval from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the agency authorized to consent to adoptions.
These updates ensure stability for children in the adoption process by preventing delays caused by notifying individuals whose parental rights have already been terminated or who have been legally determined not to be the child’s parent. They also ensure that adoptions of youth in care proceed only with the involvement of parties approved by DCFS.
Cailee met with stakeholders, including the Department of Children and Family Services and the Office of the Public Guardian, to ensure all relevant parties had a voice in the amendments and provided testimony to the CBA Legislation Committee. Based on her testimony, the CBA sponsored the bill and Cailee was tasked to testify before the House Judiciary Committee in support of the bill.
IL Senate Bill 103 becomes effective on January 1, 2026 and the provisions apply only to petitions for adoptions filed on or after January 1, 2026. Read more about the bill here and reach out to Cailee should you have any questions.
Cailee is an award-winning attorney who represents clients in all aspects of family and matrimonial law, with a focus on divorce, child custody, child support, adoption, guardianship and special immigrant juvenile status.