The Illinois Legislature adjourned the spring 2026 session in the early hours Monday morning. While the lawmakers will come back for a short session later this fall where bills may be considered, this adjournment crosses a major hurdle for bills impacting dog owners and breeders in Illinois.
Thanks to a significant response from dog owners and breeders throughout Illinois, bills that would have been detrimental to responsible home-based breeders in the state did not advance. AKC thanks all the club members, exhibitors and hobbyists who took the time to sign witness slips and contact your lawmakers throughout the 2025-2026 session.
We encourage you to be sure your club has a designated Legislative Liaison and you are receiving alerts from AKC Government Relations, so we can continue to keep you informed of any changes this fall.
The following is a brief summary of a few significant bills tracked by AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) during the 2025-2026 legislative session:
Bills Impacting Breeders:
- Senate Bill 2990/House Bill 4778 – These bills dealt with two issues regarding those who breed or sell dogs. The first portion of the bills sought to close a loophole allowing retail pet stores to sell animals in the state. AKC did not take a position on this portion of the bill. Our concerns were with “one-size-fits-all” care standards for those licensed as a breeder in Illinois.
AKC strongly supports robust laws to prevent cruelty and neglect and believes all dogs must be kept in safe, humane conditions. We also support clear, enforceable standards tailored to the needs of dogs that can be reasonably met by responsible breeders. These bills, however, apply uniform commercial-style requirements to breeders, without regard to breed, size, age, or how the dogs are safely managed in a home or small kennel environment.
Status: Senate Bill 2990 narrowly passed committee earlier this year, but was held on the Senate Floor. House Bill 4778 was held in committee and did not advance.
- House Bill 1902 – This bill, introduced in 2025, seeks to require all breeders to “have their dogs genetically tested for diseases that cause early death or physical impairments.” If a “genetic defect or mutation” is found that would cause this, it would require that the dog be immediately sterilized.
The AKC strongly supports approved and recognized health testing for specific known issues, and our national AKC breed “parent” clubs recommend certain breed-specific tests conducted by specific known and nationally-recognized organizations. AKC is the only registry to include health testing in our registration records. However, it is impossible to test for every genetic variable, and even if it were possible, the presence of a specific gene does not guarantee that it will be passed on to offspring.
Status: This bill was held in 2025 and did not receive a hearing in 2026.
- House Bill 4047 – This bill defines “professional breeder” and establishes standards for care for those meeting the definition. AKC worked in previous sessions to ensure that home-based breeders would not be included in these new standards, as there were questions how some of the standards would be enforced/applied in someone’s home.
Status: The bill was held in committee and did not advance.
Bills impacting dogs/dog owners:
- Senate Bill 2891 – Current law states that no dog or cat may be adopted out of a shelter without first being sterilized and microchipped. This bill clarifies that the shelter must register the microchip in a national microchip database with the information of the new owner at the time of adoption. The bill also requires shelters to provide information about behavior, bite history, and whether the dog has killed a domestic animal or livestock or is considered a dangerous dog under current law. AKC appreciates these amendments which benefit dogs, assist with lost dog recovery, and ensure dogs are placed in appropriate situations.
Status: The bill unanimously passed both the House and Senate.
- House Bill 3367/House Bill 4475 – These bills would have assigned an advocate to represent animals in cases regarding the health or safety of dogs and cats. Due to requests by the AKC in previous sessions, the bills did specifically state that the legal status of animals would not be impacted. However, AKC remained concerned the bills had potential unintended legal consequences, while doing nothing to improve the wellbeing of animals or help with enforcement of animal protection laws.
Status: Both bills were held and did not advance.
AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) thanks all who joined us in contacting the Illinois General Assembly during the 2025-2026 sessions. Be sure to be watching for future alerts and information should any bills regarding dogs be considered during the fall 2026 session. For questions or more information on Illinois legislation, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.