State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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[ House Amendment 003 ]


92_HB0041

 
                                              LRB9200854RCcdB

 1        AN ACT to amend the Unified Code of Corrections by adding
 2    Section 3-12-16.

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

 5        Section 5.  The Unified Code of Corrections is amended by
 6    adding Section 3-12-16 as follows:

 7        (730 ILCS 5/3-12-16 new)
 8        Sec. 3-12-16.  Helping Paws Service Dog Program.
 9        (a)  For the purposes of this Section:
10             (1)  "Disabled person" means a  person  who  suffers
11        from a permanent physical or mental impairment, resulting
12        from   a   disease,   injury,   functional  disorder,  or
13        congenital condition that renders the person incapable of
14        adequately providing  for  his  or  her  own  health  and
15        personal care.
16             (2)  "Program"  means  the  Helping Paws Service Dog
17        Program created by  this Section.
18             (3)  "Service dog" means a dog trained in  obedience
19        and task skills to meet  the needs of  a disabled person.
20             (4)  "Service   dog  professional"  means  a  person
21        certified  to  train   service   dogs   by   an   agency,
22        organization, or school approved by the Department.
23        (b)  The  Department  shall  establish  the  Helping Paws
24    Service Dog Program to train committed persons to be  service
25    dog  trainers.  The Department shall select committed persons
26    in  various  correctional  institutions  and  facilities   to
27    participate in the Program.
28        (c)  To  be  eligible for participation in the Program, a
29    committed person must either have a high  school  diploma  or
30    have passed the high school level Test of General Educational
31    Development (GED).
 
                            -2-               LRB9200854RCcdB
 1        (d)  The  Department  shall  contract  with  service  dog
 2    professionals  to  train  committed  persons  to be certified
 3    service dog trainers. Service dog professionals  shall  train
 4    committed  persons  in  dog  obedience  training, service dog
 5    training, and dog health care. Upon successful completion  of
 6    the  training, a committed person shall receive certification
 7    by  an  agency,  organization,  or  school  approved  by  the
 8    Department.
 9        (e)  The Department shall use dogs that the Department or
10    any organization certified  or  approved  by  the  Department
11    determines to be capable of being trained as service dogs.
12        (f)  After  a dog is trained by the committed person as a
13    service dog, the Department shall select a disabled person to
14    receive the service dog free of charge.
15        (g)  Employees of the Department shall periodically visit
16    disabled persons who have  received  service  dogs  from  the
17    Department  under this Section to determine whether the needs
18    of the disabled persons have been met  by  the  service  dogs
19    trained by committed persons.
20        (h)  Employees of the Department shall periodically visit
21    committed  persons  who  have  been  certified as service dog
22    trainers and who have been paroled  or  placed  on  mandatory
23    supervised   release   to  determine  whether  the  committed
24    persons are using  their  skills  as  certified  service  dog
25    trainers.

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

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