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ANIMALS
(510 ILCS 81/) Care for Retired Police Dogs Program Act.

510 ILCS 81/1

    (510 ILCS 81/1)
    Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program Act.
(Source: P.A. 104-276, eff. 1-1-26.)

510 ILCS 81/5

    (510 ILCS 81/5)
    Sec. 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.
(Source: P.A. 104-276, eff. 1-1-26.)

510 ILCS 81/10

    (510 ILCS 81/10)
    Sec. 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.
(Source: P.A. 104-276, eff. 1-1-26.)

510 ILCS 81/15

    (510 ILCS 81/15)
    Sec. 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.
(Source: P.A. 104-276, eff. 1-1-26.)

510 ILCS 81/20

    (510 ILCS 81/20)
    Sec. 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.
(Source: P.A. 104-276, eff. 1-1-26.)

510 ILCS 81/25

    (510 ILCS 81/25)
    Sec. 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.
(Source: P.A. 104-276, eff. 1-1-26.)

510 ILCS 81/30

    (510 ILCS 81/30)
    Sec. 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.
(Source: P.A. 104-276, eff. 1-1-26.)

510 ILCS 81/90

    (510 ILCS 81/90)
    Sec. 90. Rules. The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois shall adopt rules to implement this Act.
(Source: P.A. 104-276, eff. 1-1-26.)

510 ILCS 81/100

    (510 ILCS 81/100)
    Sec. 100. (Amendatory provisions; text omitted).
(Source: P.A. 104-276, eff. 1-1-26; text omitted.)