Sec. 212. Hearings.
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Sec. 212. Hearings.
(a)A petition for an order of protection shall be treated as an expedited proceeding, and no court shall transfer or otherwise decline to decide all or part of such petition except as otherwise provided herein. Nothing in this Section shall prevent the court from reserving issues when jurisdiction or notice requirements are not met.
(b)Any court or a division thereof which ordinarily does not decide matters of child custody and family support may decline to decide contested issues of physical care, custody, visitation, or family support unless a decision on one or more of those contested issues is necessary to avoid the risk of abuse, neglect, removal from the State or concealment within the State of the child or of separation of the child from the primary caretaker. If the court or division thereof has declined to decide any or all of these issues, then it shall transfer all undecided issues to the appropriate court or division. In the event of such a transfer, a government attorney involved in the criminal prosecution may, but need not, continue to offer counsel to the petitioner on transferred matters.
(c)If the court transfers or otherwise declines to decide any issue, judgment on that issue shall be expressly reserved and ruling on other issues shall not be delayed or declined.
(d)A court in a county with a population above 250,000 shall offer the option of a remote hearing to a petitioner for an order of protection. The court has the discretion to grant or deny the request for a remote hearing. Each court shall determine the procedure for a remote hearing. The petitioner and respondent may appear remotely or in person.
The court shall issue and publish a court order, standing order, or local rule detailing information about the process for requesting and participating in a remote court appearance. The court order, standing order, or local rule shall be published on the court's website and posted on signs throughout the courthouse, including in the clerk's office. The sign shall be written in plain language and include information about the availability of remote court appearances and the process for requesting a remote hearing.