|  The 2023/2024 Wisconsin State
Legislative Session has begun. We hope to have some excellent humane
legislation introduced in this session. This page will list the bills we are
watching, with links for more information (including sponsors, bill summaries,
talking points, action taken, etc.).
-
STRONGLY
SUPPORT:
SB
65/AB 75, regarding felony provisions for mistreatment of animals. This is
the FOURTH try for a felony charge for someone who commits an act of animal
abuse that they should reasonably know may result in grievous bodily harm or
death of an animal, regardless of whether that harm or death actually occurs.
This bill would also require a judge
to PROHIBIT a person convicted of animal abuse -- felony or misdemeanor -- from
owning, possessing, training, or residing with the type animal they were
convicted of abusing, for a specified period of time.
The link below will take you to our
SB 65/AB 75 page, with links to the bill summary, text, and history, as well as
Talking Points and what you can do to help get it passed this time. We are very
disappointed that the bill was amended to appease the hounders, and even more
disappointed that some humane groups have chosen the "throw the baby out
with the bath water" approach and are opposing an otherwise excellent bill
because of this amendment.
 More
about SB 65/AB 75
SUPPORT:
SB 79/AB 84, relating to: possession of dogs by certain felony
offenders and providing a penalty. This bill prohibits certain felony
offenders from possessing, controlling, or residing with a vicious dog, as
determined by a humane officer or a law enforcement officer using criteria
specified in the bill. The prohibition applies to persons whose status as
felony offenders is due to committing an act that is classified under the bill
as a serious felony, which includes homicide, felony battery, sexual assault,
and felonies involving controlled substances.
Bill
History
STRONGLY OPPOSE:
SB126/AB 124, relating to: the definition of public zoos and
aquariums for purposes of captive wildlife regulations. This bill expands
the definition of “public zoos and aquariums” to include those that
are accredited members of the Zoological Association of America.
WE STRONGLY OPPOSE this bill that
would eliminate the state licensing requirements from these facilities and
prevent the WI DNR from applying state standards that are designed to ensure
humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of captive animals.
The Sloth Conservation Foundation
has written a very interesting article about the "dark side" of
animal encounter experiences which relates not just to sloths, but to all
captive wildlife.
You can read The Wildlife Selfie Problem here. It's a good
resource to file away for Talking Points, should the need arise to argue for
MORE regulation of these facilities instead of less.
More info about SB
126/ AB 124
STRONGLY OPPOSE:
SB 139/AB 137, Relating to: establishing a statewide wolf
population goal. This bill states: "If the wolf is not listed on the
federal endangered list and is not listed on the state endangered list, the
department shall allow the hunting and trapping of wolves and, shall regulate
such hunting and trapping as provided in this section, and shall implement a
wolf management plan that establishes a statewide
wolf population goal." WE
STRONGLY OPPOSE this bill that would essentially make any number
of wolves over that "population goal," which the DNR has chosen NOT
to set in the new Wolf Management Plan for good reason, fair game for hunters
when -- not if -- the wolf is once again delisted from the federal Endangered
Species list. (Please click here for an Interesting article on "Wolf
killing and the consequences of disturbing pack dynamics."
Bill History
|
