Illinois § 10-16.7

§ 10-16.7.

Child support enforcement debit authorization. (a) For purposes of this Section: "Financial institution" and "account" are defined as set forth in Section 10-24. "Payor" is defined as set forth in Section 15 of the Income Withholding for Support Act. "Order for support" means any order for periodic payment of funds to the State Disbursement Unit for the support of a child or, where applicable, for support of a child and a parent with whom the child resides, that is entered or modified under this Code or under the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, the Non-Support of Spouse and Children Act, the Non-Support Punishment Act, the Illinois Parentage Act of 1984, or the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015, or that is entered or registered for modification or enforcement under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act. "Obligor" means an individual who owes a duty to make payments under an order for support in a case in which child support enforcement services are being provided under this Article X. (b) The Department of Public Aid (now Healthcare and Family Services) shall adopt a child support enforcement debit authorization form that, upon being signed by an obligor, authorizes a financial institution holding an account on the obligor's behalf to debit the obligor's account periodically in an amount equal to the amount of child support that the obligor is required to pay periodically and transfer that amount to the State Disbursement Unit. The form shall include instructions to the financial institution concerning the debiting of accounts held on behalf of obligors and the transfer of the debited amounts to the State Disbursement Unit. In adopting the form, the Department may consult with the Office of Banks and Real Estate and the Department of Financial Institutions. The Department must adopt the form within 6 months after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly. Promptly after adopting the form, the Department must notify each financial institution conducting business in this State that the form has been adopted and is ready for use. (c) An obligor who does not have a payor may sign a child support debit authorization form adopted by the Department under this Section. The obligor may sign a form in relation to any or all of the financial institutions holding an account on the obligor's behalf. Promptly after an obligor signs a child support debit authorization form, the Department shall send the original signed form to the appropriate financial institution. Subject to subsection (e), upon receiving the form, the financial institution shall debit the account and transfer the debited amounts to the State Disbursement Unit according to the instructions in the form. A financial institution that complies with a child support debit authorization form signed by an obligor and issued under this Section shall not be subject to civil liability with respect to any individual or any agency. (d) The signing and issuance of a child support debit authorization form under this Section does not relieve the obligor from responsibility for compliance with any requirement under the order for support. (e) A financial institution is obligated to debit the account of an obligor pursuant to this Section only if or to the extent: (1) the financial institution reasonably believes the debit authorization form is a true and authentic original document; (2) there are finally collected funds in the account; and (3) the account is not subject to offsetting claims of the financial institution, whether due at the time of receipt of the debit authorization form or thereafter to become due and whether liquidated or unliquidated. To the extent the account of the obligor is pledged or held by the financial institution as security for a loan or other obligation, or that the financial institution has any other claim or lien against the account, the financial institution is entitled to retain the account. (Source: P.A. 99-85, eff. 1-1-16.)