Public Act 0322 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1882 Enrolled LRB100 06286 SMS 16323 b

Public Act 100-0322

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be referred to as the Best Practices and Uniform Standards to Ensure Consumer Protection and Safe Pets Act.

Section 5. The Animal Welfare Act is amended by changing Sections 3.1, 3.6, and 3.15 and by adding Section 3.8 as follows:

(225 ILCS 605/3.1) (from Ch. 8, par. 303.1)

Sec. 3.1. Information on dogs and cats for sale by a dog dealer or cattery operator. Every dog dealer and cattery operator shall provide the following information for every dog or cat available for sale:

(a) The age, sex, and weight of the animal.

(b) The breed of the animal.

(c) A record of vaccinations and veterinary care and treatment.

(d) A record of surgical sterilization or lack of surgical sterilization.

(e) The name and address of the breeder of the animal.

(f) The name and address of any other person who owned or harbored the animal between its birth and the point of sale.

(g) Documentation that indicates that the dog or cat has been microchipped and the microchip has been enrolled in a nationally searchable database.

(Source: P.A. 96-1470, eff. 1-1-11.)

(225 ILCS 605/3.6)

Sec. 3.6. Acceptance of stray dogs and cats.

(a) No animal shelter may accept a stray dog or cat unless the animal is reported by the shelter to the animal control or law enforcement of the county in which the animal is found by the next business day. An animal shelter may accept animals from: (1) the owner of the animal where the owner signs a relinquishment form which states he or she is the owner of the animal; (2) an animal shelter licensed under this Act; or (3) an out-of-state animal control facility, rescue group, or animal shelter that is duly licensed in their state or is a not-for-profit organization.

(b) When stray dogs and cats are accepted by an animal shelter, they must be scanned for the presence of a microchip and examined for other currently-acceptable methods of identification, including, but not limited to, identification tags, tattoos, and rabies license tags. The examination for identification shall be done within 24 hours after the intake of each dog or cat. The animal shelter shall notify the owner and transfer any dog with an identified owner to the animal control or law enforcement agency in the jurisdiction in which it was found or the local animal control agency for redemption.

(c) If no transfer can occur, the animal shelter shall make every reasonable attempt to contact the owner, agent, or caretaker as soon as possible. The animal shelter shall give notice of not less than 7 business days to the owner, agent, or caretaker prior to disposal of the animal. The notice shall be mailed to the last known address of the owner, agent, or caretaker. Testimony of the animal shelter, or its authorized agent, who mails the notice shall be evidence of the receipt of the notice by the owner, agent, or caretaker of the animal. A mailed notice shall remain the primary means of owner, agent, or caretaker contact; however, the animal shelter shall also attempt to contact the owner, agent, or caretaker by any other contact information, such as by telephone or email address, provided by the microchip or other method of identification found on the dog or cat. If the dog or cat has been microchipped and the primary contact listed by the chip manufacturer cannot be located or refuses to reclaim the dog or cat, an attempt shall be made to contact any secondary contacts listed by the chip manufacturer prior to adoption, transfer, or euthanization. Prior to transferring any stray dog or cat to another humane shelter, pet store, or rescue group, or euthanization, the dog or cat shall be scanned again for the presence of a microchip and examined for other means of identification. If a second scan provides the same identifying information as the initial intake scan and the owner, agent, or caretaker has not been located or refuses to reclaim the dog or cat, the animal shelter may proceed with adoption, transfer, or euthanization.

(d) When stray dogs and cats are accepted by an animal shelter and no owner can be identified, the shelter shall hold the animal for the period specified in local ordinance prior to adoption, transfer, or euthanasia. The animal shelter shall allow access to the public to view the animals housed there. If a dog is identified by an owner who desires to make redemption of it, the dog shall be transferred to the local animal control for redemption. If no transfer can occur, the animal shelter shall proceed pursuant to Section 3.7. Upon lapse of the hold period specified in local ordinance and no owner can be identified, ownership of the animal, by operation of law, transfers to the shelter that has custody of the animal.

(e) No representative of an animal shelter may enter private property and remove an animal without permission from the property owner and animal owner, nor can any representative of an animal shelter direct another individual to enter private property and remove an animal unless that individual is an approved humane investigator (approved by the Department) operating pursuant to the provisions of the Humane Care for Animals Act.

(f) Nothing in this Section limits an animal shelter and an animal control facility who, through mutual agreement, wish to enter into an agreement for animal control, boarding, holding, or other services provided that the agreement requires parties adhere to the provisions of the Animal Control Act, the Humane Euthanasia in Animal Shelters Act, and the Humane Care for Animals Act.

(Source: P.A. 99-310, eff. 1-1-16.)

(225 ILCS 605/3.8 new)

Sec. 3.8. Sourcing of dogs and cats sold by pet shops.

(a) A pet shop operator may not obtain a dog or cat for resale or sell or offer for sale any dog or cat obtained from a person who is required to be licensed by the pet dealer regulations of the United States Department of Agriculture under the federal Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) if any of the following applies to the original breeder:

(1) The person is not currently licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture under the federal Animal Welfare Act.

(2) During the 2-year period before the day the dog or cat is received by the pet shop, the person received a direct or critical non-compliant citation on a final inspection report from the United States Department of Agriculture under the federal Animal Welfare Act.

(3) During the 2-year period before the day the dog or cat is received by the pet shop, the person received 3 or more non-compliant citations on a final inspection report from the United States Department of Agriculture for violations relating to the health or welfare of the animal and the violations were not administrative in nature.

(4) The person received a no-access violation on each of the 3 most recent final inspection reports from the United States Department of Agriculture.

(b) A pet shop operator is presumed to have acted in good faith and to have satisfied its obligation to ascertain whether a person meets the criteria described in subsection (a) of this Section if, when placing an order to obtain a dog or cat for sale or resale, the pet shop operator conducts a search for inspection reports that are readily available of the breeder on the Animal Care Information System online search tool maintained by the United States Department of Agriculture. If inspection reports are not readily available on the United States Department of Agriculture website, the pet shop operator must obtain the inspection reports from the person or persons required to meet the criteria described in subsection (a) of this Section.

(c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of this Section, a pet shop operator may obtain a dog or cat for resale or sell or offer for sale any dog or cat obtained from: (1) a person that sells dogs only he or she has produced and raised and who is not required to be licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture, (2) a publicly operated pound or a private non-profit humane society or rescue, or (3) an animal adoption event conducted by a pound or humane society.

(d) A pet shop operator shall maintain records verifying its compliance with this Section for 2 years after obtaining the dog or cat to be sold or offered for sale. Records maintained pursuant to this subsection (d) shall be open to inspection on request by a Department of Agriculture inspector.

(225 ILCS 605/3.15)

Sec. 3.15. Disclosures for dogs and cats being sold by pet shops.

(a) Prior to the time of sale, every pet shop operator must, to the best of his or her knowledge, provide to the consumer the following information on any dog or cat being offered for sale:

(1) The retail price of the dog or cat, including any additional fees or charges.

(2) The breed, age, date of birth, sex, and color of the dog or cat.

(3) The date and description of any inoculation or medical treatment that the dog or cat received while under the possession of the pet shop operator.

(4) The name and business address of both the dog or cat breeder and the facility where the dog or cat was born. If the dog or cat breeder is located in the State, then the breeder's license number. If the dog or cat breeder also holds a license issued by the United States Department of Agriculture, the breeder's federal license number.

(5) (Blank).

(6) If eligible for registration with a pedigree registry, then the name and registration numbers of the sire and dam and the address of the pedigree registry where the sire and dam are registered.

(7) If the dog or cat was returned by a customer, then the date and reason for the return.

(8) A copy of the pet shop's policy regarding warranties, refunds, or returns and an explanation of the remedy under subsections (f) through (m) of this Section in addition to any other remedies available at law.

(9) The pet shop operator's license number issued by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

(10) Disclosure that the dog or cat has been microchipped and the microchip has been enrolled in a nationally searchable database. Pet stores must also disclose that the purchaser has the option to list the pet store as a secondary contact on the microchip.

(a-5) All dogs and cats shall be microchipped by a pet shop operator prior to sale.

(b) The information required in subsection (a) shall be provided to the customer in written form by the pet shop operator and shall have an acknowledgement of disclosures form, which must be signed by the customer and the pet shop operator at the time of sale. The acknowledgement of disclosures form shall include the following:

(1) A blank space for the dated signature and printed name of the pet shop operator, which shall be immediately beneath the following statement: "I hereby attest that all of the above information is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.".

(2) A blank space for the customer to sign and print his or her name and the date, which shall be immediately beneath the following statement: "I hereby attest that this disclosure was posted on or near the cage of the dog or cat for sale and that I have read all of the disclosures. I further understand that I am entitled to keep a signed copy of this disclosure.".

(c) A copy of the disclosures and the signed acknowledgement of disclosures form shall be provided to the customer at the time of sale and the original copy shall be maintained by the pet shop operator for a period of 2 years from the date of sale. A copy of the pet store operator's policy regarding warranties, refunds, or returns shall be provided to the customer.

(d) A pet shop operator shall post in a conspicuous place in writing on or near the cage of any dog or cat available for sale the information required by subsection (a) of this Section 3.15.

(e) If there is an outbreak of distemper, parvovirus, or any other contagious and potentially life-threatening disease, the pet shop operator shall notify the Department immediately upon becoming aware of the disease. If the Department issues a quarantine, the pet shop operator shall notify, in writing and within 2 business days of the quarantine, each customer who purchased a dog or cat during the 2-week period prior to the outbreak and quarantine.

(f) A customer who purchased a dog or cat from a pet shop is entitled to a remedy under this Section if:

(1) within 21 days after the date of sale, a licensed veterinarian states in writing that at the time of sale (A) the dog or cat was unfit for purchase due to illness or disease, the presence of symptoms of a contagious or infectious disease, or obvious signs of severe parasitism that are extreme enough to influence the general health of the animal, excluding fleas or ticks, or (B) the dog or cat has died from a disease that existed in the dog or cat on or before the date of delivery to the customer; or

(2) within one year after the date of sale, a licensed veterinarian states in writing that the dog or cat possesses a congenital or hereditary condition that adversely affects the health of the dog or cat or requires either hospitalization or a non-elective surgical procedure or has died of a congenital or hereditary condition. Internal or external parasites may not be considered to adversely affect the health of the dog unless the presence of the parasites makes the dog or cat clinically ill. The veterinarian's statement shall include:

(A) the customer's name and address;

(B) a statement that the veterinarian examined the dog or cat;

(C) the date or dates that the dog or cat was examined;

(D) the breed and age of the dog or cat, if known;

(E) a statement that the dog or cat has or had a disease, illness, or congenital or hereditary condition that is subject to remedy; and

(F) the findings of the examination or necropsy, including any lab results or copies of the results.

(g) A customer entitled to a remedy under subsection (f) of this Section may:

(1) return the dog or cat to the pet shop for a full refund of the purchase price;

(2) exchange the dog or cat for another dog or cat of comparable value chosen by the customer;

(3) retain the dog or cat and be reimbursed for reasonable veterinary fees for diagnosis and treatment of the dog or cat, not to exceed the purchase price of the dog or cat; or

(4) if the dog or cat is deceased, be reimbursed for the full purchase price of the dog or cat plus reasonable veterinary fees associated with the diagnosis and treatment of the dog or cat, not to exceed one times the purchase price of the dog or cat.

For the purposes of this subsection (g), veterinary fees shall be considered reasonable if (i) the services provided are appropriate for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, illness, or congenital or hereditary condition and (ii) the cost of the services is comparable to that charged for similar services by other licensed veterinarians located in close proximity to the treating veterinarian.

(h) Unless the pet shop contests a reimbursement required under subsection (g) of this Section, the reimbursement shall be made to the customer no later than 10 business days after the pet shop operator receives the veterinarian's statement under subsection (f) of this Section.

(i) To obtain a remedy under this Section, a customer shall:

(1) notify the pet shop as soon as reasonably possible and not to exceed 3 business days after a diagnosis by a licensed veterinarian of a disease, illness, or congenital or hereditary condition of the dog or cat for which the customer is seeking a remedy;

(2) provide to the pet shop a written statement provided for under subsection (f) of this Section by a licensed veterinarian within 5 business days after a diagnosis by the veterinarian;

(3) upon request of the pet shop, take the dog or cat for an examination by a second licensed veterinarian; the customer may either choose the second licensed veterinarian or allow the pet shop to choose the second veterinarian, if the pet shop agrees to do so. The party choosing the second veterinarian shall assume the cost of the resulting examination; and

(4) if the customer requests a reimbursement of veterinary fees, provide to the pet shop an itemized bill for the disease, illness, or congenital or hereditary condition of the dog or cat for which the customer is seeking a remedy.

(j) A customer is not entitled to a remedy under this Section if:

(1) the illness or death resulted from: (A) maltreatment or neglect by the customer; (B) an injury sustained after the delivery of the dog or cat to the customer; or (C) an illness or disease contracted after the delivery of the dog or cat to the customer;

(2) the customer does not carry out the recommended treatment prescribed by the veterinarian who made the diagnosis; or

(3) the customer does not return to the pet shop all documents provided to register the dog or cat, unless the documents have already been sent to the registry organization.

(k) A pet shop may contest a remedy under this Section by having the dog or cat examined by a second licensed veterinarian pursuant to paragraph (3) of subsection (i) of this Section if the dog or cat is still living. If the dog or cat is deceased, the pet shop may choose to have the second veterinarian review any records provided by the veterinarian who examined or treated the dog or cat for the customer before its death.

If the customer and the pet shop have not reached an agreement within 10 business days after the examination of the medical records and the dog or cat, if alive, or the dog's or cat's medical records, if deceased, by the second veterinarian, then:

(1) the customer may bring suit in a court of competent jurisdiction to resolve the dispute; or

(2) if the customer and the pet shop agree in writing, the parties may submit the dispute to binding arbitration.

If the court or arbiter finds that either party acted in bad faith in seeking or denying the requested remedy, then the offending party may be required to pay reasonable attorney's fees and court costs of the adverse party.

(l) This Section shall not apply to any adoption of dogs or cats, including those in which a pet shop or other organization rents or donates space to facilitate the adoption.

(m) If a pet shop offers its own warranty on a pet, a customer may choose to waive the remedies provided under subsection (f) of this Section in favor of choosing the warranty provided by the pet shop. If a customer waives the rights provided by subsection (f), the only remedies available to the customer are those provided by the pet shop's warranty. For the statement to be an effective waiver of the customer's right to refund or exchange the animal under subsection (f), the pet shop must provide, in writing, a statement of the remedy under subsection (f) that the customer is waiving as well as a written copy of the pet shop's warranty. For the statement to be an effective waiver of the customer's right to refund or exchange the animal under subsection (f), it shall be substantially similar to the following language:

"I have agreed to accept the warranty provided by the pet shop in lieu of the remedies under subsection (f) of Section 3.15 of the Animal Welfare Act. I have received a copy of the pet shop's warranty and a statement of the remedies provided under subsection (f) of Section 3.15 of the Animal Welfare Act. This is a waiver pursuant to subsection (m) of Section 3.15 of the Animal Welfare Act whereby I, the customer, relinquish any and all right to return the animal for congenital and hereditary disorders provided by subsection (f) of Section 3.15 of the Animal Welfare Act. I agree that my exclusive remedy is the warranty provided by the pet shop at the time of sale.".

(Source: P.A. 98-509, eff. 1-1-14; 98-593, eff. 11-15-13.)

Section 10. The Animal Control Act is amended by changing Section 10 as follows:

(510 ILCS 5/10) (from Ch. 8, par. 360)

Sec. 10. Impoundment; redemption. When dogs or cats are apprehended and impounded, they must be scanned for the presence of a microchip and examined for other currently acceptable methods of identification, including, but not limited to, identification tags, tattoos, and rabies license tags. The examination for identification shall be done within 24 hours after the intake of each dog or cat. The Administrator shall make every reasonable attempt to contact the owner as defined by Section 2.16, agent, or caretaker as soon as possible. The Administrator shall give notice of not less than 7 business days to the owner, agent, or caretaker prior to disposal of the animal. Such notice shall be mailed to the last known address of the owner, agent, or caretaker. Testimony of the Administrator, or his or her authorized agent, who mails such notice shall be evidence of the receipt of such notice by the owner, agent, or caretaker of the animal. A mailed notice shall remain the primary means of owner, agent, or caretaker contact; however, the Administrator shall also attempt to contact the owner, agent, or caretaker by any other contact information, such as by telephone or email address, provided by the microchip or other method of identification found on the dog or cat. If the dog or cat has been microchipped and the primary contact listed by the chip manufacturer cannot be located or refuses to reclaim the dog or cat, an attempt shall be made to contact any secondary contacts listed by the chip manufacturer prior to adoption, transfer, or euthanization. Prior to transferring the dog or cat to another humane shelter, pet store, rescue group, or euthanization, the dog or cat shall be scanned again for the presence of a microchip and examined for other means of identification. If a second scan provides the same identifying information as the initial intake scan and the owner, agent, or caretaker has not been located or refuses to reclaim the dog or cat, the animal control facility may proceed with the adoption, transfer, or euthanization.

In case the owner, agent, or caretaker of any impounded dog or cat desires to make redemption thereof, he or she may do so by doing the following:

a. Presenting proof of current rabies inoculation and registration, if applicable.

b. Paying for the rabies inoculation of the dog or cat and registration, if applicable.

c. Paying the pound for the board of the dog or cat for the period it was impounded.

d. Paying into the Animal Control Fund an additional impoundment fee as prescribed by the Board as a penalty for the first offense and for each subsequent offense.

e. Paying a $25 public safety fine to be deposited into the Pet Population Control Fund; the fine shall be waived if it is the dog's or cat's first impoundment and the owner, agent, or caretaker has the animal spayed or neutered within 14 days.

f. Paying for microchipping and registration if not already done.

The payments required for redemption under this Section shall be in addition to any other penalties invoked under this Act and the Illinois Public Health and Safety Animal Population Control Act. An animal control agency shall assist and share information with the Director of Public Health in the collection of public safety fines.

(Source: P.A. 97-240, eff. 1-1-12.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.