Illinois just handed DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin two more wins in his yearslong push to protect seniors, people with disabilities, and abused animals. Governor JB Pritzker signed Public Act 104-0644 and Public Act 104-0671 into law, closing legal gaps that prosecutors say let some caregivers dodge accountability and left shelters stuck holding seized pets for too long. Both measures take effect January 1, 2027.
According to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Berlin and State Representative Marti Deuter announced that the two initiatives were part of Berlin's 2026 legislative package. Public Act 104-0671 amends part of the Criminal Code of 2012 to broaden the legal definition of caregiver, while Public Act 104-0644 amends the Humane Care for Animals Act to refine the procedures governing how companion animals get forfeited before trial. Both bills passed the General Assembly in May 2026, and Senate Bill 2892, which enacted Public Act 104-0644, cleared the Illinois House by a 112-0 vote on May 21, 2026, before Pritzker signed it on July 24, according to LegiScan.
Closing the Caregiver Loophole
Public Act 104-0671 spells out exactly who counts as a caregiver under Illinois law, a definition prosecutors say is needed to stop informal or voluntary caregivers from evading criminal abuse and neglect charges. Under the new law, a caregiver includes anyone who voluntarily takes on responsibility by knowingly providing ongoing primary and substantial assistance, as well as anyone who has reason to believe, based on an elderly or disabled person's actions, statements, or behavior, that they are relied upon for that kind of physical-care assistance.
The law defines two ways a caregiver commits criminal abuse or neglect: failing to perform acts they know or reasonably should know are necessary to maintain or preserve life or health when that failure creates a substantial likelihood of harm, or knowingly performing acts that create a substantial likelihood of endangering life, injuring health, or worsening a pre-existing physical or mental condition. Violations are classified as Class A misdemeanors, per the Illinois General Assembly.
“Families expect caregivers to act compassionately and with full attention,” Deuter said, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. She added that the legislation will help state's attorneys hold caregivers accountable. Deuter, who represents Illinois House District 45 covering parts of eastern DuPage County and western Cook County including Elmhurst, Villa Park, Lombard, and Addison, sponsored the bill in the House, with Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton sponsoring it in the Senate. Representatives Janet Yang Rohr, Nicolle Grasse, and Dan Ugaste co-sponsored it in the House, and Senators Jason Plummer, Sally Turner, Robert Martwick, Mary Edly-Allen, and Mattie Hunter co-sponsored it in the Senate.
A Faster Clock for Seized Pets
Public Act 104-0644 strengthens law enforcement's ability to prosecute animal cruelty cases by giving state's attorneys 30 days after seizing a companion animal to file a petition for forfeiture before trial, up from the previous 14-day window. Once a petition is filed, a hearing must be conducted within 14 days or as soon thereafter as practicable, but the law caps the wait at no later than 45 days after filing.
Deuter said the updated animal-welfare legislation will protect pets without burdening animal shelters and animal control, according to the same announcement. The bill was sponsored in the House by Deuter and in the Senate by Senator Michael Halpin, with Representatives Barbara Hernandez and Matt Hanson co-sponsoring in the House and Senators Patrick Joyce, Lakesia Collins, and Cristina Castro co-sponsoring in the Senate.
Building on a 2023 Foundation
This isn't Berlin's first run at these issues. Back in August 2023, Pritzker signed Public Act 103-0490, an earlier Berlin initiative that let courts order animal forfeiture immediately upon a statutory violation instead of waiting for a criminal conviction, as reported by the West Chicago Voice. That law also gave Illinois courts authority to ban convicted animal abusers and their household members from owning or harboring animals for up to a lifetime, with violations carrying penalties of up to 90 days in jail and $2,500 in fines, according to the Animal Rescue Foundation.
Alongside that animal welfare push in 2023, Berlin also drafted Public Act 103-0293 to increase criminal protections for senior citizens and long-term healthcare facility residents. Berlin has served as DuPage County State's Attorney since 2010, prosecuting cases across Illinois's second-most populous county.
A Half-Century of Evolving Animal Law
The Illinois Humane Care for Animals Act itself dates back to 1974 and underwent significant amendments in 2002 to expand covered acts of cruelty and increase care requirements for pet owners, according to reporting relayed by the Chicago Tribune. This year's changes mark the latest chapter in that decades-long evolution, this time aimed squarely at the practical bottleneck of how long shelters can be forced to house a seized animal before its fate is settled in court.
Berlin framed both new laws as part of a single mission. “Seniors and people with disabilities deserve dignified, secure lives free from abuse or exploitation, and companion animals deserve protection from harm,” he said, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. He added that protecting vulnerable people and companion animals is everyone's responsibility, and that support from the General Assembly and Pritzker's signature enables greater support and protection for vulnerable people and animals.
