When a parent consistently doesn’t pay child support, the family court typically has a range of options to enforce their support obligations, and to punish them and deter future nonpayment.
When a parent withholds court-ordered visitation and timesharing with a child, the family court’s enforcement options are considerably narrower and more limited.
But, in response to a particularly egregious case, the Illinois legislature is looking to change that.
New proposed legislation in Illinois would allow family courts to:
- incarcerate noncompliant parents
- require them to post bonds
- impose increasing monetary fines on them
- revoke driver’s licenses and revoke business licenses and
- modify custody based on the denial of visitation
Read more in this [Springfield, IL] State Journal-Register article: ‘Steven Watkins’ bill passed by Illinois House committee and this Capitol Fax article: Strong penalties proposed for visitation violations.
