State of Illinois
92^nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB0041eng

 
HB0041 Engrossed                              LRB9200854RCcdB

 1        AN ACT in relation to criminal law.

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

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

 6        (730 ILCS 5/3-12-16 new)
 7        Sec. 3-12-16. Helping Paws Service Dog Program.
 8        (a)  In this Section:
 9        "Disabled  person"  means  a  person  who  suffers from a
10    physical or mental impairment that substantially  limits  one
11    or more major life activities.
12        "Program"  means  the  Helping  Paws  Service Dog Program
13    created by this Section.
14        "Service dog" means a dog trained in obedience  and  task
15    skills to meet the needs of a disabled person.
16        "Animal  care  professional"  means a person certified to
17    work in animal  care  related  services,  such  as  grooming,
18    kenneling, and any other related fields.
19        "Service  dog  professional"  means a person certified to
20    train service dogs by  an  agency,  organization,  or  school
21    approved by the Department.
22        (b)  The   Department  may  establish  the  Helping  Paws
23    Service Dog Program to train committed persons to be  service
24    dog  trainers  and  animal care professionals. The Department
25    shall  select  committed  persons  in  various   correctional
26    institutions and facilities to participate in the Program.
27        (c)  Priority  for  participation  in the Program must be
28    given to committed persons who  either  have  a  high  school
29    diploma  or have passed the high school level Test of General
30    Educational Development (GED).
31        (d)  The  Department  may  contract  with   service   dog
 
HB0041 Engrossed            -2-               LRB9200854RCcdB
 1    professionals  to  train  committed  persons  to be certified
 2    service dog trainers. Service dog professionals  shall  train
 3    committed  persons  in  dog  obedience  training, service dog
 4    training, and animal health care. Upon successful  completion
 5    of   the   training,   a   committed   person  shall  receive
 6    certification by an agency, organization, or school  approved
 7    by the Department.
 8        (e)  The    Department   may   designate   a   non-profit
 9    organization to select  animals  from  humane  societies  and
10    shelters for the purpose of being trained as service dogs and
11    for  participation  in  any  program designed to train animal
12    care professionals.
13        (f)  After a dog is trained by the committed person as  a
14    service dog, a review committee consisting of an equal number
15    of   persons   from   the   Department   and  the  non-profit
16    organization shall select a disabled person  to  receive  the
17    service dog free of charge.
18        (g)  Employees of the Department shall periodically visit
19    disabled  persons  who  have  received  service dogs from the
20    Department under this Section to determine whether the  needs
21    of  the  disabled  persons  have been met by the service dogs
22    trained by committed persons.
23        (h)  Employees of the Department shall periodically visit
24    committed persons who have  been  certified  as  service  dog
25    trainers  or  animal  care  professionals  and  who have been
26    paroled  or  placed  on  mandatory  supervised   release   to
27    determine  whether  the  committed  persons  are  using their
28    skills as certified  service  dog  trainers  or  animal  care
29    professionals.

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

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