|  The 2023/2024 Wisconsin State
Legislative Session has now ended. We celebrated when Gov. Evers vetoed some
bills, passed along party lines to benefit special interest groups, which would
have been very harmful to companion animals, farm animals, and wildlife in
Wisconsin.
Unfortunately, however, the felony animal bill, for which we had such high
hopes, never made it out of committee in either house, thanks in part to
language exempting hounders. We will keep trying.
This page lists the bills we were
watching for the 2023/2024 session, in the order they were introduced, with
links for more information (including sponsors, bill summaries, talking points,
action taken, etc.).
If you are interested in all of the bills Gov. Evers took
action on on 3/29/24, including those passed and links to the reasoning behind
those he vetoed, please click here.
 Find your WI State
Representatives
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SESSION
ENDED; DID NOT PASS. Again. 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
SESSION
ENDED; DID NOT PASS -- 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
SESSION ENDED; DID NOT PASS!
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
VETOED!!!! THANK YOU, GOV. EVERS! 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."
More info about SB
139/AB 137
Gov. Evers' Veto Message for SB 139 Bill History
VETOED!!!! THANK YOU, GOV. EVERS! STRONGLY OPPOSE:
SB 545/AB 512, Relating to: hunting wild animals with the aid
of a dog, dog training on wild animals, and dog trialing on wild animals in the
northern portion of the state. "This bill repeals a current Department
of Natural Resources administrative code provision that generally prohibits a
person from hunting or pursuing any free-roaming wild animal with the aid of a
dog from May 1 to June 30 in a portion of the state north of certain east-west
highways. The bill also repeals DNR administrative code restrictions on dog
training and dog trialing on any free roaming wild animal in that area and
during that period." WE STRONGLY
OPPOSE this bill that would once again circumvent wildlife
experts in the WI DNR, to put WI wildlife at the mercy of politicians and
special interest groups. It would essentially remove protections put into place
for ground-nesting birds during egg- laying season, as well as protections for
bear and wolf cubs during the whelping season, thus creating the potential for
more wolf/hound conflicts.
More info about SB 545/AB 512
Gov. Evers' Veto Message for AB 512 Bill History
VETOED!!!! THANK YOU, GOV. EVERS! STRONGLY
OPPOSE:
SB 892/AB 957: An Act to create 173.90 of the statutes;
Relating to: preemption of certain local animal ordinances. Current law
specifies animal welfare standards, identifies and prohibits a number of crimes
against animals, and requires rabies vaccinations and local dog licenses and
tags for dogs. Under current law, a city, village,
town, or county (political subdivision) may appoint humane officers who may, in
addition to law enforcement officers, investigate and enforce these state laws
as well as local ordinances relating to animals.
This bill:
-
prohibits
political subdivisions from establishing animal welfare standards that are more
stringent than those contained in state law, for animal facilities in
areas that are zoned exclusively or primarily for agricultural use, unless the
activity being regulated presents a substantial threat to public health or
safety,
prohibits political subdivisions
from requiring or prohibiting animal medications or vaccinations that are not
otherwise required or prohibited under state law,
prohibits political
subdivisions from regulating the use to which an animal will be put, either on
a farm or facility or after it leaves the farm or facility,
prohibits political subdivisions
from regulating the species of animals that are allowed to be raised within an
area that is zoned exclusively or primarily for agricultural use, and
prohibits political subdivisions from enforcing any existing
regulations that conflict with the provisions of the bill, unless
the activity being regulated presents a substantial threat to public health or
safety.
WE
STRONGLY OPPOSE
SB 892/AB 957: An Act to create 173.90 of the statutes;
Relating to: preemption of certain local animal ordinances, which would
erode specific animal protections and chip away at enforcement oversight and
authority. Please remember that most puppy mills are in areas zoned for
agriculture.
More
info about SB 892/ AB 957
Gov. Evers' Veto Message for AB 957 Bill History
SESSION
ENDED; DID NOT PASS -- STRONGLY
SUPPORT:
AB 1204, An Act to
amend 29.888 (1m) of the statutes; Relating to: eliminating depredation
payments for hunting dogs injured or killed by wolves. Introduced in the
last general floor period of the legislative session (4/11/24) by
Representatives Considine, Conley, Andraca, Billings, Joers and Palmeri and
cosponsored by Senator Roys, this bill eliminates the Department of Natural
Resources's authority under the wolf depredation program to make payments for
death or injury caused by wolves to hunting dogs. (PLEASE NOTE that it would
NOT affect payments for livestock or pet dogs in any way. )
WI is the only state that has payments for
hunting dogs killed by wolves.
WI pays $2,500 for each hunting dog killed by
wolves, and unlimited vet bills for those dogs injured.
In 2023, the total depredation payment for 28
hunting dogs killed by wolves was $69,500 and $7817.47 in vet bills for 7
injured hunting dogs. (Click
here for WI DRN's Annual Wolf Damage Payment chart.)
WI pays $2,500 for each hunting dog killed by
wolves -- more than twice that paid for calves -- and unlimited vet bills for
those dogs injured. There are often repeat claimants.
"When wolves attack dogs in hunting or
training situations on public land, the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources will create wolf caution areas to warn hunters that a specific pack
has attacked a dog or group of dogs. Bear hunters are urged to exercise greater
caution if they plan to train hounds or hunt bears with hounds near any caution
area, especially if near an actual kill site." These wolf caution areas,
along with depredation reports, are readily available thorugh the DNR website.
(
Click here to see the Dog Depredations by Wolves in WI
website)
More info about AB
1204
Bill History
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