Bill
HB 3223
Extends the Line of Duty Compensation Act to include animal control officers and wardens; deaths or injuries within 1 year of on-duty violence/accidents qualify for benefits.
Status and procedural history
- Introduced in February 2025 by Rep. Wayne A. Rosenthal (filed Feb 24, 2025; bill text cites Feb 18, 2025).
- Amends the Line of Duty Compensation Act (820 ILCS 315/2–4).
- Committee activity in March–April 2025 (public hearing 4/2/2025; reported favorably 4/3/2025).
- Passed the House (third reading and recorded votes) on May 6, 2025 and received from the House the same day.
- At the time of this summary the bill has been referred under Rule 19(a) and re-referred to the Rules Committee.
Purpose and intent
- To include animal control officers and animal wardens within the protections and benefits of the Illinois Line of Duty Compensation Act so that deaths or qualifying injuries suffered in the line of duty by those workers are treated the same as other covered public safety classifications.
Key provisions and changes
- Amends Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Line of Duty Compensation Act (820 ILCS 315/2–4).
- Expands definitions and coverage so that:
- "Killed in the line of duty" explicitly includes animal control officers and animal wardens if death occurs within one year of an injury that arose from violence or accidental causes.
- Animal control officers and animal wardens are included among the listed categories (alongside law enforcement, fire, paramedics, etc.) for purposes of the Act’s death/injury presumptions and benefits.
- Retains existing limitations: deaths resulting from the willful misconduct or intoxication of the covered person are excluded; the Attorney General bears the burden of proving such willful misconduct or intoxication.
- Leaves intact existing special inclusion/conditions for Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile Justice employees (direct or indirect willful acts of inmates/wards, etc.).
Who would be affected
- Directly: animal control officers and animal wardens employed by State or local governmental entities in Illinois and their eligible survivors or beneficiaries.
- Indirectly: municipalities, counties, state agencies, and other local governmental employers potentially liable for or participating in Line of Duty benefit processes; the State Attorney General (retained burden of proof in misconduct cases).
- Potential fiscal effect: may increase the number of qualifying Line of Duty claims, with corresponding impact on State/local budgets or benefit funding mechanisms (not specified in the bill text).
Statutory references
- Amends: 820 ILCS 315/2, 315/3, and 315/4 (Line of Duty Compensation Act).
Notes
- The bill text primarily adds animal control personnel to existing statutory categories and definitions; it does not appear to create new benefit types or change existing monetary formulas in the Act. Legislative fiscal analyses (if issued) would provide specifics on budgetary impact.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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