Public Act 104-0276
 
HB3140 EnrolledLRB104 04147 RTM 14171 b

    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Care 
for Retired Police Dogs Program Act.
 
    Section 5. General Assembly findings. The General Assembly 
finds that:
        (1) police dogs are an integral part of many law 
    enforcement and correctional efforts statewide, including 
    the apprehension of suspects through tracking and 
    searching, evidence location, drug and bomb detection, and 
    search and rescue operations;
        (2) law enforcement and correctional agencies agree 
    that the use of police dogs is an extremely cost-effective 
    means of crime control and that police dogs possess skills 
    and abilities that frequently exceed those of existing 
    technology;
        (3) the service of police dogs is often dangerous and 
    can expose them to injury at a rate higher than that of 
    non-service dogs; and
        (4) police dogs provide significant contributions to 
    the residents of this State. 
 
    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act: 
    "Correctional agency" means a lawfully established State 
or local public agency having primary responsibility for the 
supervision, protection, care, custody, control, or 
investigation of inmates at a correctional institution.
    "Law enforcement agency" means a lawfully established 
State or local public agency having primary responsibility for 
the prevention and detection of crime or the enforcement of 
penal, traffic, highway, regulatory, gaming, immigration, 
postal, customs, or controlled substances laws.
    "Retired police dog" means a dog that was previously in 
the service of or employed by a law enforcement agency or a 
correctional agency in this State for the principal purpose of 
aiding in the detection of criminal activity, enforcement of 
laws, or apprehension of offenders and that received 
certification in obedience and apprehension work from a 
certifying organization, such as the National Police Canine 
Association or a similar certifying organization.
    "Veterinarian" has the same meaning given to that term in 
the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004. 
    "Veterinary care" means the practice, by a veterinarian, 
of veterinary medicine as defined in Section 3 of the 
Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004. The term 
includes annual wellness examinations, vaccinations, internal 
and external parasite prevention treatments, testing and 
treatment of illnesses and diseases, medications, emergency 
care and surgeries, veterinary oncology or other specialty 
care, euthanasia, and cremation.
 
    Section 15. Establishment of program. The Care for Retired 
Police Dogs Program is created within the University of 
Illinois system to provide a stable funding source for the 
veterinary care of retired police dogs. 
 
    Section 20. Administration. The Board of Trustees of the 
University of Illinois 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. The Board of Trustees of 
the University of Illinois shall select the not-for-profit 
corporation through a competitive grant award process. The 
not-for-profit corporation must meet all of the following 
criteria:
        (1) It must be dedicated to the protection or care of 
    retired police dogs.
        (2) It must be exempt from taxation under Section 
    501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code as an organization 
    described in Section 501(c)(3) of that Code.
        (3) It must have maintained such tax-exempt status for 
    at least 5 years.
        (4) It must agree to be subject to review and audit at 
    the discretion of the Auditor General in order to ensure 
    accurate accounting and disbursement of State funds.
        (5) It must demonstrate the ability to effectively and 
    efficiently disseminate information and to assist former 
    handlers and adopters of retired police dogs in complying 
    with this Act. 
 
    Section 25. Funding.
    (a) Subject to appropriations made by the General Assembly 
from the Illinois Police K-9 Memorial Fund to the University 
of Illinois for implementation of this Act, the Board of 
Trustees of the University of Illinois shall make grants to 
the not-for-profit corporation contracted by the Board of 
Trustees of the University of Illinois under Section 20 to be 
the disbursing authority for the Care for Retired Police Dogs 
Program. 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 of:
        (1) valid documentation from the law enforcement 
    agency or correctional agency from which the dog retired 
    which verifies that the dog was in the service of or 
    employed by that agency and that the dog served:
            (A) 5 years or more with that agency;
            (B) a total of 5 years or more with 2 or more law 
        enforcement agencies or correctional agencies; or
            (C) 3 years or more with one or more law 
        enforcement agencies or correctional agencies and was 
        injured in the line of duty while serving with a law 
        enforcement agency or correctional agency and retired 
        from the agency the dog was serving with at the time of 
        the injury due to the injury; and
        (2) a valid invoice from a veterinarian for veterinary 
    care provided in this State to a retired police dog and 
    documentation establishing payment of the invoice by the 
    former handler or the adopter of the retired police dog.
    (b) 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. 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.
    (c) A former handler or an adopter of a retired police dog 
who seeks reimbursement for veterinary care under this Act may 
not receive reimbursement if funds appropriated for the Care 
for Retired Police Dogs Program are depleted in the year for 
which the reimbursement is sought.
 
    Section 30. Administrative expenses. The University of 
Illinois shall pay to the not-for-profit corporation 
contracted by the Board of Trustees of the University of 
Illinois under Section 20, and the not-for-profit corporation 
may use, up to 10% of appropriated funds each fiscal year for 
the not-for-profit corporation's administrative expenses, 
including salaries and benefits. 
 
    Section 90. Rules. The Board of Trustees of the University 
of Illinois shall adopt rules to implement this Act.
 
    Section 100. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by 
changing Section 3-699.8 as follows:
 
    (625 ILCS 5/3-699.8)
    Sec. 3-699.8. Illinois Police K-9 Memorial Plates.
    (a) The Secretary, upon receipt of all applicable fees and 
applications made in the form prescribed by the Secretary, may 
issue special registration plates designated as Illinois 
Police K-9 Memorial license plates. The special plates issued 
under this Section shall be affixed only to passenger vehicles 
of the first division, motorcycles, autocycles, or motor 
vehicles of the second division weighing not more than 8,000 
pounds. Plates issued under this Section shall expire 
according to the multi-year procedure established by Section 
3-414.1 of this Code. 
    (b) The design and color of the plates is wholly within the 
discretion of the Secretary. The Secretary may allow the 
plates to be issued as vanity plates or personalized under 
Section 3-405.1 of the Code. Appropriate documentation, as 
determined by the Secretary, shall accompany each application. 
The Secretary shall prescribe stickers or decals as provided 
under Section 3-412 of this Code. 
    (c) An applicant shall be charged a $40 fee for original 
issuance in addition to the applicable registration fee. Of 
this additional fee, $15 shall be deposited into the Secretary 
of State Special License Plate Fund and $25 shall be deposited 
into the Illinois Police K-9 Memorial Fund. For each 
registration renewal period, a $27 fee, in addition to the 
appropriate registration fee, shall be charged. Of this 
additional fee, $2 shall be deposited into the Secretary of 
State Special License Plate Fund and $25 shall be deposited 
into the Illinois Police K-9 Memorial Fund. 
    (d) The Illinois Police K-9 Memorial Fund is created as a 
special fund in the State treasury. All moneys in the Illinois 
Police K-9 Memorial Fund shall be paid, subject to 
appropriation by the General Assembly and distribution by the 
Secretary, as grants to the Northern Illinois Police K-9 
Memorial for the creation, operation, and maintenance of a 
police K-9 memorial monument for grants under the Care for 
Retired Police Dogs Program Act. 
    (e) Notwithstanding the requirements of subsection (a) of 
Section 3-600, if the Secretary of State has not received 
2,000 plate applications to issue the special plate authorized 
under this Section by January 1, 2028, then the Secretary of 
State's authority to issue the special plate is nullified and 
the plate shall not be issued.
    (f) If the Secretary of State has not received 2,000 plate 
applications to issue the special plate authorized under this 
Section by January 1, 2028, then the provisions of this 
Section, other than this subsection (f), are inoperative after 
January 1, 2028. 
(Source: P.A. 103-843, eff. 1-1-25.)