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Lake County Gazette

Thursday, July 31, 2025

Illinois Rep. Weber’s retired police dogs care program bill passes both chambers of Illinois General Assembly

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Tom Weber, Illinois State Representative for 64th District | Facebook

Tom Weber, Illinois State Representative for 64th District | Facebook

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Tom Weber aims to establish a program within the University of Illinois to fund veterinary care for retired police dogs, supporting their health through grants and designated funding sources, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 68 Democrats and 36 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 38 Democrats and 19 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Weber introduced the bill in the Illinois House on Feb. 6, 2025 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as HB3140, was passed on May 31, 2025 during the general assembly session 104.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Illinois State Police Act. Creates the Police K-9 Care Program within the Illinois State Police to provide a stable funding source for the veterinary care for retired police dogs. Provides that Illinois State Police shall contract with a nonprofit corporation organized under State law to administer and manage the Program and shall select the nonprofit corporation through a competitive grant award process. Provides that a handler or adopter of a retired police dog is eligible for a grant of up to $1,500 in veterinary care reimbursement for the retired police dog. Provides that the Program will be funded through grants from the Police K-9 Care Fund, which shall be funded by gifts, appropriations, and a percentage of monetary forfeitures due to criminal activity. Limits the concurrent exercise of home rule powers relating to forfeitures. Provides requirements for the Program and the Fund. Requires the Illinois State Police to adopt rules necessary to implement the Police K-9 Care Program and the requirements of the Fund. Makes a conforming change in the State Finance Act. Some provisions take effect immediately and some provisions take effect one year after becoming law."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill establishes the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program within the University of Illinois to fund veterinary care for retired police dogs. It requires the Board of Trustees to contract a non-profit to manage the program and sets criteria for organizations eligible to administer it. Funding is sourced from the Illinois Police K-9 Memorial Fund, and grants are provided to former handlers or adopters of dogs with documented service records. Reimbursements for veterinary care are capped at $1,500 per year per dog, and funds cannot be carried over. Up to 10% of appropriated funds may cover administrative costs. The bill also includes provisions for issuing Illinois Police K-9 Memorial license plates, with fees supporting the program. These provisions become inoperative if fewer than 2,000 applications for the plates are received by Jan. 1, 2028.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Aarón M. Ortíz (Democrat-1st District), Sen. Adriane Johnson (Democrat-30th District), and Rep. Amy Elik (Republican-111th District), along with 40 other sponsors.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Weber, a Republican, was elected to the Illinois State House in 2019 to represent the state's 64th House District, replacing previous state representative Barbara Wheeler.

Lawmakers listed as "Not Voting" were present for the vote but did not cast a vote. Those marked as having an "Excused Absence" were not present and formally provided a reason for their absence, which was accepted.

Senate Vote – Third Reading on HB3140 (May 31, 2025)

LegislatorPartyDistrictVote
Adriane JohnsonDemocrat30th DistrictYea
Andrew S. ChesneyRepublican45th DistrictYea
Bill CunninghamDemocrat18th DistrictYea
Celina VillanuevaDemocrat12th DistrictYea
Chapin RoseRepublican51st DistrictYea
Chris BalkemaRepublican53rd DistrictYea
Christopher BeltDemocrat57th DistrictYea
Craig WilcoxRepublican32nd DistrictYea
Cristina CastroDemocrat22nd DistrictYea
Dale FowlerRepublican59th DistrictYea
Darby A. HillsRepublican26th DistrictYea
Dave SyversonRepublican35th DistrictYea
David KoehlerDemocrat46th DistrictYea
Donald P. DeWitteRepublican33rd DistrictYea
Doris TurnerDemocrat48th DistrictYea
Elgie R. Sims, Jr.Democrat17th DistrictYea
Emil Jones, IIIDemocrat14th DistrictYea
Erica HarrissRepublican56th DistrictYea
Graciela GuzmánDemocrat20th DistrictYea
Jason PlummerRepublican55th DistrictYea
Javier L. CervantesDemocrat1st DistrictYea
Jil TracyRepublican50th DistrictYea
John F. CurranRepublican41st DistrictYea
Julie A. MorrisonDemocrat29th DistrictYea
Karina VillaDemocrat25th DistrictYea
Kimberly A. LightfordDemocrat4th DistrictNot vote
Lakesia CollinsDemocrat5th DistrictYea
Laura EllmanDemocrat21st DistrictYea
Laura FineDemocrat9th DistrictNot vote
Laura M. MurphyDemocrat28th DistrictYea
Li Arellano, Jr.Republican37th DistrictYea
Linda HolmesDemocrat42nd DistrictYea
Mark L. WalkerDemocrat27th DistrictYea
Mary Edly-AllenDemocrat31st DistrictYea
Mattie HunterDemocrat3rd DistrictYea
Meg Loughran CappelDemocrat49th DistrictYea
Michael E. HastingsDemocrat19th DistrictYea
Michael W. HalpinDemocrat36th DistrictYea
Mike PorfirioDemocrat11th DistrictYea
Mike SimmonsDemocrat7th DistrictYea
Mr. PresidentDemocrat39th DistrictYea
Napoleon Harris, IIIDemocrat15th DistrictYea
Neil AndersonRepublican47th DistrictYea
Omar AquinoDemocrat2nd DistrictYea
Patrick J. JoyceDemocrat40th DistrictYea
Paul FaraciDemocrat52nd DistrictYea
Rachel VenturaDemocrat43rd DistrictYea
Ram VillivalamDemocrat8th DistrictYea
Robert F. MartwickDemocrat10th DistrictYea
Robert PetersDemocrat13th DistrictYea
Sally J. TurnerRepublican44th DistrictYea
Sara FeigenholtzDemocrat6th DistrictYea
Seth LewisRepublican24th DistrictYea
Steve McClureRepublican54th DistrictYea
Steve StadelmanDemocrat34th DistrictYea
Sue RezinRepublican38th DistrictYea
Suzy Glowiak HiltonDemocrat23rd DistrictYea
Terri BryantRepublican58th DistrictYea
Willie PrestonDemocrat16th DistrictYea

House Vote – Third Reading on HB3140 (Apr 07, 2025)

LegislatorPartyDistrictVote
Aarón M. OrtízDemocrat1st DistrictYea
Abdelnasser RashidDemocrat21st DistrictYea
Adam M. NiemergRepublican102nd DistrictYea
Amy BrielDemocrat76th DistrictYea
Amy ElikRepublican111th DistrictYea
Amy L. GrantRepublican47th DistrictYea
Angelica Guerrero-CuellarDemocrat22nd DistrictYea
Ann M. WilliamsDemocrat11th DistrictYea
Anna MoellerDemocrat43rd DistrictYea
Anne StavaDemocrat81st DistrictYea
Anthony DeLucaDemocrat80th DistrictYea
Barbara HernandezDemocrat50th DistrictYea
Blaine WilhourRepublican110th DistrictYea
Bob MorganDemocrat58th DistrictYea
Brad HalbrookRepublican107th DistrictYea
Brad StephensRepublican20th DistrictYea
Bradley FrittsRepublican74th DistrictYea
Brandun SchweizerRepublican104th DistrictYea
Camille Y. LillyDemocrat78th DistrictAbsent, excused
Carol AmmonsDemocrat103rd DistrictAbsent, excused
Charles MeierRepublican109th DistrictYea
Chris MillerRepublican101st DistrictAbsent, excused
Christopher "C.D." DavidsmeyerRepublican100th DistrictYea
Curtis J. Tarver, IIDemocrat25th DistrictYea
Dagmara AvelarDemocrat85th DistrictYea
Dan SwansonRepublican71st DistrictYea
Dan UgasteRepublican65th DistrictYea
Daniel DidechDemocrat59th DistrictYea
Dave SeverinRepublican116th DistrictYea
Dave VellaDemocrat68th DistrictYea
David FriessRepublican115th DistrictYea
Debbie Meyers-MartinDemocrat38th DistrictYea
Dennis TipswordRepublican105th DistrictYea
Diane Blair-SherlockDemocrat46th DistrictYea
Edgar González, Jr.Democrat23rd DistrictYea
Elizabeth "Lisa" HernandezDemocrat2nd DistrictYea
Eva-Dina DelgadoDemocrat3rd DistrictYea
Fred CrespoDemocrat44th DistrictYea
Gregg JohnsonDemocrat72nd DistrictYea
Harry BentonDemocrat97th DistrictAbsent, excused
Hoan HuynhDemocrat13th DistrictYea
Jackie HaasRepublican79th DistrictYea
Jaime M. Andrade, Jr.Democrat40th DistrictYea
Janet Yang RohrDemocrat41st DistrictYea
Jason R. BuntingRepublican106th DistrictYea
Jawaharial WilliamsDemocrat10th DistrictYea
Jay HoffmanDemocrat113th DistrictAbsent, excused
Jed DavisRepublican75th DistrictYea
Jeff KeicherRepublican70th DistrictYea
Jehan Gordon-BoothDemocrat92nd DistrictYea
Jennifer Gong-GershowitzDemocrat17th DistrictYea
Jennifer SanalitroRepublican48th DistrictYea
Joe C. SosnowskiRepublican69th DistrictYea
John M. CabelloRepublican90th DistrictYea
Joyce MasonDemocrat61st DistrictYea
Justin SlaughterDemocrat27th DistrictYea
Kam BucknerDemocrat26th DistrictYea
Katie StuartDemocrat112th DistrictYea
Kelly M. CassidyDemocrat14th DistrictYea
Kevin John OlickalDemocrat16th DistrictYea
Kevin SchmidtRepublican114th DistrictYea
Kimberly Du BucletDemocrat5th DistrictYea
Kyle MooreRepublican99th DistrictYea
La Shawn K. FordDemocrat8th DistrictYea
Laura Faver DiasDemocrat62nd DistrictYea
Lawrence "Larry" Walsh, Jr.Democrat86th DistrictYea
Lilian JiménezDemocrat4th DistrictAbsent, excused
Lindsey LaPointeDemocrat19th DistrictYea
Lisa DavisDemocrat32nd DistrictYea
Marcus C. Evans, Jr.Democrat33rd DistrictYea
Margaret CrokeDemocrat12th DistrictYea
Martha DeuterDemocrat45th DistrictYea
Martin J. MoylanDemocrat55th DistrictYea
Martin McLaughlinRepublican52nd DistrictAbsent, excused
Mary Beth CantyDemocrat54th DistrictYea
Mary GillDemocrat35th DistrictYea
Matt HansonDemocrat83rd DistrictYea
Maura HirschauerDemocrat49th DistrictYea
Maurice A. West, IIDemocrat67th DistrictYea
Michael CrawfordDemocrat31st DistrictYea
Michael J. Coffey, Jr.Republican95th DistrictYea
Michael J. KellyDemocrat15th DistrictAbsent, excused
Michelle MussmanDemocrat56th DistrictYea
Mr. SpeakerDemocrat7th DistrictYea
Nabeela SyedDemocrat51st DistrictYea
Natalie A. ManleyDemocrat98th DistrictYea
Nicholas K. SmithDemocrat34th DistrictYea
Nicole La HaRepublican82nd DistrictYea
Nicolle GrasseDemocrat53rd DistrictYea
Norine K. HammondRepublican94th DistrictYea
Norma HernandezDemocrat77th DistrictYea
Patrick SheehanRepublican37th DistrictYea
Patrick WindhorstRepublican117th DistrictYea
Paul JacobsRepublican118th DistrictYea
Regan DeeringRepublican88th DistrictYea
Rick RyanDemocrat36th DistrictYea
Rita MayfieldDemocrat60th DistrictAbsent, excused
Robert "Bob" RitaDemocrat28th DistrictYea
Robyn GabelDemocrat18th DistrictYea
Ryan SpainRepublican73rd DistrictAbsent, excused
Sharon ChungDemocrat91st DistrictYea
Sonya M. HarperDemocrat6th DistrictYea
Stephanie A. KifowitDemocrat84th DistrictAbsent, excused
Steven ReickRepublican63rd DistrictYea
Sue SchererDemocrat96th DistrictAbsent, excused
Suzanne M. NessDemocrat66th DistrictYea
Terra Costa HowardDemocrat42nd DistrictYea
Thaddeus JonesDemocrat29th DistrictAbsent, excused
Theresa MahDemocrat24th DistrictYea
Tom WeberRepublican64th DistrictYea
Tony M. McCombieRepublican89th DistrictYea
Tracy Katz MuhlDemocrat57th DistrictYea
Travis WeaverRepublican93rd DistrictAbsent, excused
Wayne A. RosenthalRepublican108th DistrictYea
Will GuzzardiDemocrat39th DistrictYea
William "Will" DavisDemocrat30th DistrictYea
William E HauterRepublican87th DistrictYea
Yolonda MorrisDemocrat9th DistrictYea

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