Starting Jan. 1, 2027, DuPage County prosecutors will have twice as long to seek permanent custody of abused animals, and caregivers who neglect elderly or disabled residents will face a sharper legal standard.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed both measures into law after the Illinois General Assembly passed them unanimously in May. DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin and state Rep. Marti Deuter, whose District 45 includes Lombard, announced the signings Monday, Aug. 17.
More time for seized animals
Public Act 104-0644 amends the Humane Care for Animals Act. Under the old rule, a state's attorney had 14 days after seizing a companion animal to file a petition for permanent forfeiture. The new law doubles that window to 30 days. Once filed, a hearing must occur within 14 days, or no later than 45 days after filing.
The change addresses a practical bottleneck: shelters housing seized animals often waited in limbo while prosecutors built cruelty cases. Senate Bill 2892, the vehicle for the law, cleared the Illinois House 112-0 on May 21 before Pritzker signed it July 24.
The 2026 law builds on a 2023 measure Berlin also championed, which allowed courts to order forfeiture upon a statutory violation and impose lifetime bans on animal ownership for convicted abusers.
Clearer rules on caregiver neglect
Public Act 104-0671 amends the Criminal Code to spell out two ways a caregiver commits criminal abuse or neglect of an elderly person or person with a disability: knowingly performing acts that create a substantial likelihood of endangering life or health, or failing to perform acts the caregiver knows or reasonably should know are necessary to preserve life or health when that failure creates a substantial likelihood of harm.
The law also defines "caregiver" more precisely. A person qualifies if the elderly or disabled individual's actions, statements or behavior would give them reason to believe they are being relied upon for primary and substantial physical care assistance, or if they have voluntarily assumed that responsibility.
"When families entrust caregivers to look after their loved ones, they expect that they will operate with compassion and with their full attention," Deuter said in the Aug. 17 announcement. "When that trust is broken, families deserve a means to achieve accountability."
Local reach
Deuter's District 45 covers Lombard, Elmhurst, Villa Park and Addison. Both passed unanimously.
Berlin said the laws "send a crystal-clear message that protecting our most vulnerable is the responsibility of each and every one of us."
Both laws take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
