The Illinois Declaration Under Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (McCrea) is a law that sets out the rules and procedures governing the interstate enforcement of child custody orders. It is enacted in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to ensure that a custody order issued by one state is enforceable in another. The McCrea is designed to prevent jurisdictional battles when parents are located in different states, and to ensure that a child's best interests are taken into account when a custody decision is made. The Illinois Declaration Under Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (McCrea) is composed of two parts: the “Declaration” and the “Enforcement”. The Declaration sets out the jurisdictional rules for child custody proceedings. It requires that the court with jurisdiction over the child must be the court in the child's “home state” (the state where the child has lived for the past six months, or since birth if under six months of age). If the child does not have a home state, the court with jurisdiction is the court in the state with the closest connection to the child and the parties. The Enforcement part of the McCrea sets out the process for enforcing an out-of-state custody order. It provides for the recognition and enforcement of out-of-state orders, and requires states to give full faith and credit to orders from other states. There are two types of Illinois Declaration Under Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (McCrea), namely the original McCrea and the amended McCrea. The original McCrea was enacted in 2002, and the amended McCrea was enacted in 2004. Both versions of the McCrea provide the same protections and enforcement procedures for out-of-state custody orders.