Public Act 100-0384
 
HB2897 EnrolledLRB100 08902 RLC 19045 b


  
    AN ACT concerning criminal law.
  
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:
  
 
 
    Section 5. The Unified Code of Corrections is amended  by 
changing Section 3-12-16 as follows:
 


    (730 ILCS 5/3-12-16)




    Sec. 3-12-16. Helping Paws Service Dog Program. 

    (a) In this Section:

    "Person with a disability" means a person who suffers from 
a physical or mental
impairment that substantially
limits one 
or more major life activities.

    "Program" means the Helping Paws Service Dog Program 
created by this
Section.

    "Service dog" means a dog trained in obedience and task 
skills to meet
the
needs of a person with a disability.

    "Animal care professional" means a person certified to work 
in animal
care
related services, such as
grooming, kenneling, 
and any other related fields.

    "Service dog professional" means a person certified to 
train service
dogs
by an agency, organization, or
school 
approved by the Department.

    "Veteran" means an Illinois
resident who is a veteran as 
defined in subsection (h) of
Section 1491 of Title 10 of the 
United States Code. 
    (b) The Department may establish the Helping Paws Service 
Dog Program to
train
committed persons to be
service dog 
trainers and animal care professionals. The Department shall 
select
committed persons in
various correctional institutions 
and facilities to participate in the Program.

    (c) Priority for participation in the Program must be given 
to committed
persons who either have a high school
diploma or 
have passed high school equivalency testing.

    (d) The Department may contract with service dog 
professionals to train
committed persons to be certified

service dog trainers. Service dog professionals shall train 
committed persons
in
dog obedience training,
service dog 
training, and animal health care. Upon successful completion of 
the
training, a committed
person shall receive certification by 
an agency, organization, or school
approved by the Department.

    (e) The Department may designate a non-profit organization 
to select
animals
from humane societies and
shelters for the 
purpose of being trained as service dogs and for participation

in any program designed to
train animal care professionals.

    (f) After a dog is trained by the committed person as a 
service dog, a
review
committee consisting of an equal
number 
of persons from the Department and the non-profit organization 
shall
select a person with a disability or a veteran with 
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression to
receive 
the service dog free of charge.

    (g) Employees of the Department shall periodically visit 
persons with disabilities
who
have received service dogs from

the Department under this Section to determine whether the 
needs of the
persons with disabilities or veterans with 
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression have been 
met
by the service dogs trained by committed persons.

    (h) Employees of the Department shall periodically visit 
committed persons
who
have been certified as service
dog 
trainers or animal care professionals and who have been paroled 
or placed
on mandatory supervised
release to determine whether 
the committed persons are using their skills as
certified 
service dog trainers or
animal care professionals.

(Source: P.A. 98-718, eff. 1-1-15; 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)