HB5411 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 19855 BDA 33305 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB5411

Introduced 2/13/2026, by Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

225 ILCS 115/30 new
510 ILCS 5/8	from Ch. 8, par. 358

Specifies that the Act may be referred to as the Rabies Vaccination Access for Shelters and Public Health Act. Amends the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004 and the Animal Control Act. Allows a licensed veterinarian to delegate rabies vaccination within an animal shelter, animal control facility, or government-authorized public health vaccination clinic to a certified veterinary technician or trained shelter vaccine administrator who is acting under the veterinarian's indirect supervision. Requires written protocols, training verification, and oversight by the supervising veterinarian. Directs the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation under the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004 and the Department of Agriculture under the Animal Control Act to adopt rules within 12 months of the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective January 1, 2027.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning animals.

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

Section 1. References to Act. This Act may be referred to as the Rabies Vaccination Access for Shelters and Public Health Act.

Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly finds and declares that:

(1) Rabies vaccinations are a critical public health safeguard.

(2) Animal shelters and animal control facilities routinely vaccinate large numbers of animals entering care to protect the public, staff, volunteers, and other animals.

(3) Illinois faces shortages of veterinarians available to staff shelter and high-volume public health vaccination settings.

(4) Certified veterinary technicians and trained shelter personnel, when operating on the premises under indirect supervision of a licensed veterinarian, can safely administer rabies vaccines pursuant to standardized protocols.

(5) This Act is intended to expand rabies vaccination capacity only within shelters and public health settings, without altering the practice of veterinary medicine in private clinical settings.

Section 10. The Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004 is amended by adding Section 30 as follows:

(225 ILCS 115/30 new)

Sec. 30. Rabies vaccination in shelter and public health settings.

(a) A licensed veterinarian may delegate administration of rabies vaccines within an animal shelter, animal control facility, or government-authorized public health vaccination clinic to:

(1) a certified veterinary technician; or

(2) a trained shelter vaccine administrator.

(b) Rabies vaccination under this Section shall occur only if the supervising licensed veterinarian:

(1) is physically present at the facility, readily available for consultation, and responsible for oversight of the vaccine administration;

(2) has established and maintains written vaccination protocols;

(3) ensures proper vaccine storage, handling, and inventory control;

(4) verifies training and competency of delegated personnel; and

(5) retains professional responsibility for the rabies vaccination program.

(c) This Section does not apply to private veterinary practices, mobile private clinics, or for-profit entities.

(d) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to:

(1) authorize diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of disease by non-licensed individuals;

(2) alter the veterinarian-client-patient relationship; or

(3) diminish the authority or responsibility of licensed veterinarians.

(e) The rabies vaccines used shall be approved by the United States Department of Agriculture and administered in accordance with the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control.

(f) Rabies vaccines shall be sold or used only by licensed veterinarians or by shelters, animal control facilities, or public health entities operating pursuant to written protocols established and overseen on the premises by a supervising licensed veterinarian.

(g) A certificate of rabies vaccination shall be issued for each inoculation and shall identify the animal, the date of vaccination, the duration of immunity, and the supervising licensed veterinarian present on the premises at the time of vaccination.

(h) The Department, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, shall adopt rules establishing minimum training, documentation, and quality assurance requirements under this Section. The Department shall adopt any other rules necessary to implement and administer this Section. Rules under this Section shall be adopted no later than 12 months after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly.

Section 15. The Animal Control Act is amended by changing Section 8 as follows:

(510 ILCS 5/8) (from Ch. 8, par. 358)

Sec. 8. Rabies inoculation.

(a) Every owner of a dog 4 months or more of age shall have each dog inoculated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian or by a certified veterinary technician or trained shelter vaccine administrator in accordance with a delegation under Section 30 of the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004. Every dog shall have a second rabies vaccination within one year of the first. Terms of subsequent vaccine administration and duration of immunity must be in compliance with USDA licenses of vaccines used.

(b) Every owner of a cat that is a companion animal and is 4 months or more of age shall have each cat inoculated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian or by a certified veterinary technician or trained shelter vaccine administrator in accordance with a delegation under Section 30 of the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004. Every cat that is a companion animal shall have a second rabies vaccination within one year of the first. Terms of subsequent vaccine administration and duration of immunity must be in compliance with USDA licenses of vaccines used. This subsection (b) does not apply to feral cats; however, if a feral cat is presented to a licensed veterinarian for sterilization, the feral cat shall be inoculated against rabies, unless the person presenting the feral cat for care provides an inoculation certificate showing that the feral cat has been inoculated against rabies, and the cost of the inoculation shall be paid by the person presenting the feral cat to a licensed veterinarian for care.

(c) A veterinarian, veterinary technician, or a trained shelter vaccine administrator immunizing a dog, cat, or ferret against rabies shall provide the Administrator of the county in which the dog, cat, or ferret resides with a certificate of immunization. Evidence of such rabies inoculation shall be entered on a certificate the form of which shall be approved by the Board and which shall contain the microchip number of the dog, cat, or ferret if it has one and which shall be signed by the licensed veterinarian administering the vaccine. Only one dog, cat, or ferret shall be included on each certificate.

(d) Veterinarians, veterinary technicians, or trained shelter vaccine administrators who inoculate a dog shall procure from the County Animal Control in the county where their office is located serially numbered tags, one to be issued with each inoculation certificate. The Board shall cause a rabies inoculation tag to be issued, at a fee established by the Board for each dog inoculated against rabies.

(e) A veterinarian, veterinary technician, or trained shelter vaccine administrator who inoculates a cat that is a companion animal shall issue an inoculation certificate to the owner which shall comply with any registration requirements adopted by the county under Section 3 of this Act. The owner shall pay any fee imposed by the county under Section 3 of this Act. A veterinarian, veterinary technician, or trained shelter vaccine administrator who inoculates a feral cat shall issue an inoculation certificate to the person who presented the feral cat for veterinary care. The registration requirements or any fee imposed by the county under Section 3 of this Act shall not apply to feral cats.

(f) Rabies vaccine for use on animals shall be sold or distributed only to and used only by licensed veterinarians. Such rabies vaccine shall be licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture.

(g) If a licensed veterinarian determines in writing that a rabies inoculation would compromise an animal's health, then the animal shall be exempt from the rabies inoculation requirement for the period described in this subsection; however, the owner is still responsible for the tag fees. A determination under this subsection is valid for one year but may be annually renewed thereafter by a licensed veterinarian.

(h) If a bite occurs from an exempt animal, the exempt animal shall be treated as an unvaccinated animal. If the animal is exempt, the animal shall be re-examined by a licensed veterinarian on no less than an annual basis and be vaccinated against rabies as soon as the animal's health permits.

(i) The Department shall adopt rules necessary to implement the changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly no later than 12 months after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 104-72, eff. 1-1-26.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 1, 2027.