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HB 3791

Relating to the maritime workforce.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by David Gomberg

HB 3791 increases penalties for harming public-safety animals and makes offenders pay vet bills and replacement/training costs for affected animals.

In committee upon adjournment.
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 3791

Summary — HB 3791 (Dax’s Law)

Status: In committee upon adjournment (last action: 2025-06-28)
Introduced: Feb. 18, 2025; filed Mar. 5, 2025
Primary sponsor: Rep. Tom Weber
Statute amended: Humane Care for Animals Act (510 ILCS 70/4.04)
Companion: SB 2042

Purpose / Intent

HB 3791, titled “Dax’s Law,” revises the statutory protections and penalties for harming animals employed in public safety roles. The bill strengthens accountability for persons who willfully or maliciously injure, disable, poison, mutilate, or kill animals used in law enforcement and related public-safety functions and creates financial liability for treatment and replacement costs.

Key provisions

  • Names the amendatory act “Dax’s Law.”
  • Amends 510 ILCS 70/4.04 to address injuring or killing animals used for law enforcement purposes, including:
    • Animals used by law enforcement agencies in performance of duties (police animals / K‑9s).
    • Search and rescue dogs.
    • Accelerant-detection canines used by fire investigators.
    • Animals used in training for enforcement, service, or search and rescue functions.
  • Criminal penalties:
    • Class 4 felony when the animal is injured but not killed or totally disabled.
    • Class 3 felony when the animal is killed or totally disabled.
  • Financial responsibility:
    • A convicted offender must pay veterinarian bills for an injured animal.
    • If the injured or killed animal can no longer serve, the offender is responsible for the purchase and training costs of a replacement animal.
  • Preserves limited exemptions for authorized euthanasia by police or veterinarians in emergencies to prevent undue suffering, and appears to exempt actions consistent with an agency’s authorized use-of-force policies.
  • Note: the bill synopsis indicates removal of “service animals” from the protected list; the introduced text is somewhat fragmented but generally focuses protection on animals used for law enforcement, arson/accelerant detection, and search-and-rescue roles.

Who is affected

  • Law enforcement agencies and handlers (protects agency animals such as K‑9s and detection dogs).
  • Offenders who assault these animals — face felony charges and financial restitution.
  • Veterinarians and trainers — may seek reimbursement through criminal restitution.
  • Potential defense/ prosecutorial processes to establish liability, cost amounts, and whether an animal is “used for law enforcement purposes.”

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Referred to multiple committees (Rules; Agriculture & Conservation; Labor and Workplace Standards; Energy Resources).
  • Public hearing and testimony recorded on 2025-04-07; left pending in committee.
  • Status as of 2025-06-28: In committee upon adjournment.

Practical implications

If enacted, HB 3791 would increase criminal penalties and require convicted offenders to cover medical and replacement costs for public-safety animals, potentially increasing deterrence and shifting recovery costs from agencies/taxpayers to offenders. The bill’s exact scope (e.g., treatment of civilian “service animals”) should be reviewed in final text due to ambiguous wording in the introduced draft.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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