SB0027 amends Section 505 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, which governs child support, contempt, penalties, and related enforcement provisions. The bill updates and reorganizes the child support framework to reflect current income-tax concepts and modern family arrangements. It defines gross income, net income, and tax deductions for support calculations; requires the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to publish worksheets and a standardized net-income conversion table; and sets rules for calculating support in shared physical care and split physical care cases. It also addresses child care expenses, extracurricular and school costs, health insurance and medical support, life insurance as security for support, and procedures for contempt and enforcement.
The bill makes several substantive changes to how support is calculated and enforced. It revises the treatment of income by including maintenance in income calculations, excluding certain public assistance, and adding rules for business income, in-kind compensation, and imputed income when a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed. It establishes a rebuttable presumption for a minimum support order of $40 per month per child for low-income obligors, and a zero-dollar order for parents with no income who receive means-tested assistance or cannot work due to disability, incarceration, or institutionalization. It also adds provisions for dependency exemptions, medical support, notice requirements, arrearage interest, liens on property, driver’s license suspension for delinquency, and the use of contempt and criminal enforcement tools.
The bill appears to have broad legislative support. It passed the Senate on April 9, 2025 by a vote of 55-0 and passed third reading in the House on May 23, 2025 by a vote of 105-0. No committee transcripts were provided, so there is no recorded committee debate to indicate opposition or amendments discussed in committee. The unanimous votes suggest the measure was viewed favorably across both chambers.
Because the bill is a comprehensive rewrite of child support calculation and enforcement provisions, its impact is likely to be significant for family law practitioners, courts, parents subject to support orders, and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. It standardizes support calculations, clarifies treatment of low-income and high-income cases, and expands guidance for shared parenting, medical coverage, and enforcement. It also updates statutory references and administrative duties, meaning courts and agencies will need to apply new worksheets, income rules, and enforcement procedures once the act takes effect.
No major points of contention are evident from the available record. The bill’s detailed rules on imputed income, minimum support, zero-dollar orders, health insurance affordability, and enforcement mechanisms could be sensitive in practice because they affect both obligors and custodial parents, but the voting history shows no recorded dissent. The most likely policy tensions involve balancing child support adequacy with ability to pay, and balancing stronger enforcement with fairness for low-income, unemployed, incarcerated, or disabled parents.
SB0027 amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, Section 505, and related enforcement provisions to revise how child support is calculated, adjusted, and enforced. It affects courts, parents in dissolution and support proceedings, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, clerks of court, and the Secretary of State through updated notice, withholding, and license-suspension procedures. The bill also updates statutory treatment of income, medical support, child care, shared parenting, arrearages, liens, and contempt remedies, while adding or clarifying rules for low-income obligors and zero-dollar orders.
The overall sentiment appears strongly favorable and bipartisan. The bill passed both chambers unanimously, with 55-0 in the Senate and 105-0 in the House, indicating broad agreement on the need to modernize child support law. No committee transcripts were provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate showing organized opposition.
No explicit contention is documented in the available materials. However, the bill’s most potentially disputed provisions are the new minimum support and zero-dollar order rules, the expanded use of imputed income for unemployed or underemployed parents, the treatment of incarceration in support calculations, and the strengthened enforcement tools such as license suspension, contempt, liens, and criminal prosecution. These provisions could draw concern from obligors and advocates focused on ability to pay, while support enforcement advocates would likely favor them for protecting children and custodial households.