Bill Text: IL HB3791 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Humane Care for Animals Act. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as Dax's Law. In provisions concerning injuring or killing police animals, removes references to service animals. Provides that, if an offender is convicted of willfully or maliciously torturing, mutilating, injuring, disabling, poisoning, or killing any animal used for law enforcement purposes, the offender shall, among other penalties, be responsible for any veterinarian bills for the animal that was injured. Makes other changes.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2025-03-21 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB3791 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB3791-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB3791 Introduced , by Rep. Tom Weber SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
510 ILCS 70/4.04 from Ch. 8, par. 704.04
Amends the Humane Care for Animals Act. Provides that the amendatory Act may be referred to as Dax's Law. In provisions concerning injuring or killing police animals, removes references to service animals. Provides that, if an offender is convicted of willfully or maliciously torturing, mutilating, injuring, disabling, poisoning, or killing any animal used for law enforcement purposes, the offender shall, among other penalties, be responsible for any veterinarian bills for the animal that was injured. Makes other changes.
LRB104 11864 JDS 21954 b
A BILL FOR
HB3791 LRB104 11864 JDS 21954 b
AN ACT concerning animals.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. This Act may be referred to as Dax's Law.
Section 5. The Humane Care for Animals Act is amended by
changing Section 4.04 as follows:
(510 ILCS 70/4.04) (from Ch. 8, par. 704.04)
Sec. 4.04. Injuring or killing police animals, service
animals, accelerant detection dogs, or search and rescue dogs
being used for law enforcement purposes prohibited.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to willfully or
maliciously torture, mutilate, injure, disable, poison, or
kill (i) any animal used by a law enforcement department or
agency in the performance of the functions or duties of the
department or agency or when placed in confinement off duty,
(ii) any service animal, (iii) any search and rescue dog being
used for law enforcement purposes, (iii) (iv) any law
enforcement, service, or search and rescue animal in training,
or (iv) (v) any accelerant detection canine used by a fire
investigator or law enforcement officer for arson
investigations in the performance of his or her functions or
while off duty. However, a police officer or veterinarian may

HB3791 - 2 - LRB104 11864 JDS 21954 b
perform euthanasia in emergency situations when delay would
cause the animal undue suffering and pain.
(b) A person convicted of violating of subsection (a) of
this Section is guilty of a Class 4 felony if the animal is not
killed or totally disabled; if the animal is killed or totally
disabled, the person is guilty of a Class 3 felony.
(c) If the offender is convicted of violating subsection
(a), the offender shall be responsible for any veterinarian
bills for an animal that was injured, and the purchase and
training costs for another animal, if the animal injured or
killed is no longer able to be in service.
(d) A person does not violate subsection (a) if the animal
used by a law enforcement department or agency was used
against the person in violation of the law enforcement
department or agency's use of force continuum or policy.
(Source: P.A. 95-331, eff. 8-21-07; 95-560, eff. 8-30-07;
96-1171, eff. 7-22-10.)