103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB2384

 

Introduced 2/10/2023, by Sen. Javier L. Cervantes

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program Act. Creates the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program within the Illinois State Police to provide a stable funding source for the veterinary care for retired police dogs. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall contract with a not-for-profit corporation organized under Article 2 of the General Not For Profit Corporation Act of 1986 to administer and manage the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall select the not-for-profit corporation through a competitive grant award process. Establishes criteria for the selection of the not-for-profit corporation. Provides that from appropriations made by the General Assembly to the Illinois State Police for implementation of the Act, the Illinois State Police shall make grants to the not-for-profit corporation contracted by the Illinois State Police to be the disbursing authority for the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program. Provides that these funds must be disbursed to the former handler or the adopter of a retired police dog that served for 5 years or more as a police dog upon receipt specified verification. Provides that annual disbursements to a former handler or an adopter to reimburse him or her for the cost of the retired police dog's veterinary care may not exceed $1,500 per dog. Provides that a former handler or an adopter of a retired police dog may not accumulate unused funds from a current year for use in a future year. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall pay to the not-for-profit corporation, and the not-for-profit corporation may use, up to 10% of appropriated funds for its administrative expenses, including salaries and benefits. Provides that the Illinois State Police shall adopt rules to implement the Act.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB2384LRB103 26869 RLC 53233 b

1    AN ACT concerning retired police dogs.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Care
5for Retired Police Dogs Program Act.
 
6    Section 5. General Assembly findings. The General Assembly
7finds that:
8        (1) Police dogs are an integral part of many law
9    enforcement and correctional efforts statewide, including
10    the apprehension of suspects through tracking and
11    searching, evidence location, drug and bomb detection, and
12    search and rescue operations.
13        (2) Law enforcement and correctional agencies agree
14    that the use of police dogs is an extremely cost-effective
15    means of crime control and that police dogs possess skills
16    and abilities that frequently exceed those of existing
17    technology.
18        (3) The service of police dogs is often dangerous and
19    can expose them to injury at a rate higher than that of
20    nonservice dogs.
21        (4) Police dogs provide significant contributions to
22    the residents of this State.
 

 

 

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1    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
2    "Correctional agency" means a lawfully established State
3or local public agency having primary responsibility for the
4supervision, protection, care, custody, control, or
5investigation of inmates at a correctional institution.
6    "Law enforcement agency" means a lawfully established
7State or local public agency having primary responsibility for
8the prevention and detection of crime or the enforcement of
9penal, traffic, highway, regulatory, game, immigration,
10postal, customs, or controlled substance laws.
11    "Retired police dog" means a dog that was previously in
12the service of or employed by a law enforcement agency or a
13correctional agency in this State for the principal purpose of
14aiding in the detection of criminal activity, enforcement of
15laws, or apprehension of offenders and that received
16certification in obedience and apprehension work from a
17certifying organization, such as the National Police Canine
18Association, Inc., or other certifying organization.
19    "Veterinarian" has the same meaning as in Section 3 of the
20Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004.
21    "Veterinary care" means the practice, by a veterinarian,
22of veterinary medicine as defined in Section 3 of the
23Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004. The term
24includes annual wellness examinations, vaccinations, internal
25and external parasite prevention treatments, testing and
26treatment of illnesses and diseases, medications, emergency

 

 

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1care and surgeries, veterinary oncology or other specialty
2care, euthanasia, and cremation.
 
3    Section 15. Establishment of program. The Care for Retired
4Police Dogs Program is created within the Illinois State
5Police to provide a stable funding source for the veterinary
6care for retired police dogs.
 
7    Section 20. Administration. The Illinois State Police
8shall contract with a not-for-profit corporation organized
9under Article 2 of the General Not For Profit Corporation Act
10of 1986 to administer and manage the Care for Retired Police
11Dogs Program. The Illinois State Police shall select the
12not-for-profit corporation through a competitive grant award
13process. The Not-for-profit corporation must meet all of the
14following criteria:
15    (1) Be dedicated to the protection or care of retired
16police dogs.
17    (2) Be exempt from taxation under Section 501(a) of the
18Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in Section
19501(c)(3) of that Code.
20    (3) Have maintained such tax-exempt status for at least 5
21years.
22    (4) Agree to be subject to review and audit at the
23discretion of the Auditor General in order to ensure accurate
24accounting and disbursement of State funds.

 

 

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1    (5) Demonstrate the ability to effectively and efficiently
2disseminate information and to assist former handlers and
3adopters of retired police dogs in complying with this Act.
 
4    Section 25. Funding.
5    (a) From appropriations made by the General Assembly to
6the Illinois State Police for implementation of this Act, the
7Illinois State Police shall make grants to the not-for-profit
8corporation contracted by the Illinois State Police under
9Section 20 to be the disbursing authority for the Care for
10Retired Police Dogs Program. These funds must be disbursed to
11the former handler or the adopter of a retired police dog that
12served for 5 years or more as a police dog upon receipt of:
13        (1) valid documentation from the law enforcement
14    agency or correctional agency from which the dog retired
15    which verifies that the dog was in the service of or
16    employed by that agency; and
17            (A) that the dog served 5 years or more with that
18        agency;
19            (B) documentation showing that the dog served a
20        total of 5 years or more with 2 or more law enforcement
21        agencies or correctional agencies; or
22            (C) that, notwithstanding the length of service
23        requirements elsewhere in this paragraph, the dog
24        served 3 years or more with one or more law enforcement
25        agencies or correctional agencies, was injured in the

 

 

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1        line of duty while serving with a law enforcement
2        agency or correctional agency, and retired from the
3        agency the dog was serving with at the time of the
4        injury due to such injury; and
5        (2) a valid invoice from a veterinarian for veterinary
6    care provided in this State to a retired police dog and
7    documentation establishing payment of the invoice by the
8    former handler or the adopter of the retired police dog.
9    (b) Annual disbursements to a former handler or an adopter
10to reimburse him or her for the cost of the retired police
11dog's veterinary care may not exceed $1,500 per dog. A former
12handler or an adopter of a retired police dog may not
13accumulate unused funds from a current year for use in a future
14year.
15    (c) A former handler or an adopter of a retired police dog
16who seeks reimbursement for veterinary care may not receive
17reimbursement if funds appropriated for the Care for Retired
18Police Dogs Program are depleted in the year for which the
19reimbursement is sought.
 
20    Section 30. Administrative expenses. The Illinois State
21Police shall pay to the not-for-profit corporation, and the
22not-for-profit corporation may use, up to 10% of appropriated
23funds for its administrative expenses, including salaries and
24benefits.
 

 

 

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1    Section 35. Rules. The Illinois State Police shall adopt
2rules to implement this Act.