Bill Text: IL HB1533 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Engrossed
Bill Title: Amends the Humane Care for Animals Act. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill. Deletes that these provisions do not apply to a person who performs a procedure solely for a therapeutic purpose. Provides that surgical claw removal, declawing, or a tendonectomy on any cat or otherwise altering a cat's toes, claws, or paws to prevent or impair the normal function of the cat's toes, claws, or paws may only be performed by a veterinarian licensed under the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004 for therapeutic purposes for the cat. Effective 90 days after becoming law.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-0)
Status: (Engrossed) 2024-03-12 - Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Adriane Johnson [HB1533 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HB1533-Engrossed.html
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| 1 | AN ACT concerning animals.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The Humane Care for Animals Act is amended by | ||||||
| 5 | adding Section 3.10 as follows:
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| 6 | (510 ILCS 70/3.10 new) | ||||||
| 7 | Sec. 3.10. Cat declawing. | ||||||
| 8 | (a) As used in this Section: | ||||||
| 9 | "Declawing" means an onychectomy or any other surgical | ||||||
| 10 | procedure to amputate or modify a portion of a cat's paw in | ||||||
| 11 | order to remove the cat's claws. This term does not include the | ||||||
| 12 | trimming of nonviable claw husk or placing nonpermanent nail | ||||||
| 13 | caps. | ||||||
| 14 | "Tendonectomy" means a procedure in which the tendons to a | ||||||
| 15 | cat's limbs, paws, or toes are cut or modified so that the | ||||||
| 16 | normal functioning of the claws is impaired. | ||||||
| 17 | "Therapeutic purpose" means a medically necessary | ||||||
| 18 | procedure to address an existing or recurring infection, | ||||||
| 19 | disease, injury, or abnormal condition in the claws, nail bed, | ||||||
| 20 | or toe bone, which jeopardizes the cat's health. "Therapeutic | ||||||
| 21 | purpose" does not include a procedure performed for a cosmetic | ||||||
| 22 | or aesthetic purpose or to make the cat more convenient to keep | ||||||
| 23 | or handle. | ||||||
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| 1 | (b) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c), a | ||||||
| 2 | person shall not perform surgical claw removal, declawing, or | ||||||
| 3 | a tendonectomy on any cat or otherwise alter a cat's toes, | ||||||
| 4 | claws, or paws to prevent or impair the normal function of the | ||||||
| 5 | cat's toes, claws, or paws. | ||||||
| 6 | (c) Surgical claw removal, declawing, or a tendonectomy on | ||||||
| 7 | any cat or otherwise altering a cat's toes, claws, or paws to | ||||||
| 8 | prevent or impair the normal function of the cat's toes, | ||||||
| 9 | claws, or paws may only be performed by a veterinarian | ||||||
| 10 | licensed under the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice | ||||||
| 11 | Act of 2004 for therapeutic purposes for the cat. | ||||||
| 12 | (d) The Department of Agriculture shall impose upon a | ||||||
| 13 | person who violates this Section a civil penalty of $500 for a | ||||||
| 14 | first violation, $1,000 for a second violation, and $2,500 for | ||||||
| 15 | a third or subsequent violation.
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