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92_HB0041
LRB9200854RCcdB
1 AN ACT to amend the Unified Code of Corrections by adding
2 Section 3-12-16.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The Unified Code of Corrections is amended by
6 adding Section 3-12-16 as follows:
7 (730 ILCS 5/3-12-16 new)
8 Sec. 3-12-16. Helping Paws Service Dog Program.
9 (a) For the purposes of this Section:
10 (1) "Disabled person" means a person who suffers
11 from a permanent physical or mental impairment, resulting
12 from a disease, injury, functional disorder, or
13 congenital condition that renders the person incapable of
14 adequately providing for his or her own health and
15 personal care.
16 (2) "Program" means the Helping Paws Service Dog
17 Program created by this Section.
18 (3) "Service dog" means a dog trained in obedience
19 and task skills to meet the needs of a disabled person.
20 (4) "Service dog professional" means a person
21 certified to train service dogs by an agency,
22 organization, or school approved by the Department.
23 (b) The Department shall establish the Helping Paws
24 Service Dog Program to train committed persons to be service
25 dog trainers. The Department shall select committed persons
26 in various correctional institutions and facilities to
27 participate in the Program.
28 (c) To be eligible for participation in the Program, a
29 committed person must either have a high school diploma or
30 have passed the high school level Test of General Educational
31 Development (GED).
-2- LRB9200854RCcdB
1 (d) The Department shall contract with service dog
2 professionals to train committed persons to be certified
3 service dog trainers. Service dog professionals shall train
4 committed persons in dog obedience training, service dog
5 training, and dog health care. Upon successful completion of
6 the training, a committed person shall receive certification
7 by an agency, organization, or school approved by the
8 Department.
9 (e) The Department shall use dogs that the Department or
10 any organization certified or approved by the Department
11 determines to be capable of being trained as service dogs.
12 (f) After a dog is trained by the committed person as a
13 service dog, the Department shall select a disabled person to
14 receive the service dog free of charge.
15 (g) Employees of the Department shall periodically visit
16 disabled persons who have received service dogs from the
17 Department under this Section to determine whether the needs
18 of the disabled persons have been met by the service dogs
19 trained by committed persons.
20 (h) Employees of the Department shall periodically visit
21 committed persons who have been certified as service dog
22 trainers and who have been paroled or placed on mandatory
23 supervised release to determine whether the committed
24 persons are using their skills as certified service dog
25 trainers.
26 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
27 becoming law.
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