2025-2026 WI Animal Legislation

Sandhill Cranes

The Joint Legislative Council met on 2/26/25. The Council considered Agenda Item 5, Report of the Study Committee on Sandhill Cranes. The Study Committee voted to support a proposed bill, LRB-0815/1, which directs the DNR, upon approval by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to authorize sandhill crane hunting in Wisconsin. On 3/7/25 The Joint Legislative Council introduced SB112. SB112 was referred to the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage. On 3/11/25 AB117 was introduced by the Joint Legislative Committee and was referred to the Assembly Committee on Sporting Heritage.

AB239/SB238: These bills relate to the harassment of search and rescue dogs and provide a penalty. AB239 was introduced 5/2/25 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety. SB238 was introduced 5/9/25 and referred to the Senate Commitee on Judiciary and Public Safety. On 10/14/25 the Assembly passed AB239.

AB289/SB298: Introduced 5/30/25, these bills prohibit, with limited exceptions, the DNR from using any insecticide from the neonicotinoid class on land maintained by the DNR. AB289 was referred to the Assembly Committee on Agriculture. SB298 was referred to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Veteran and Military Affairs.

AB366/SB327: These bills relate to emotional support animals in housing, falsely claiming that an animal is a service animal, and provide a penalty. AB366 was introduced on 7/17/25 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Housing and Real Estate. SB327 was introduced on 6/12/25 and referred to the Senate Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry. On 10/7/25 the Assembly passed AB366. 

AB436/SB414: Introduced 9/19/25 and 9/4/25, these bills require animal testing facilities and persons that breed cats or dogs for sale or transfer to an animal testing facility to offer to a releasing agency for eventual adoption certain dogs and cats that do not pose a risk to public health. A person who violates the provisions of the bills shall be subject to a forfeiture not to exceed $5,000.

AB551/SB548: AB551 was introduced 10/15/25 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Sporting Heritage. SB548 was introduced 10/17/25 and referred to the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage. Current law allows the DNR to manage and provide funding to conduct testing for CWD in cervids. Currently the DNR administers a program under which it provides CWD sampling stations, including self-service kiosks where hunters may drop off deer carcass parts for sampling. These bills codify this program by requiring the DNR to establish and administer it and provide one million dollars in the 2025-27 fiscal biennium for the program. The bills allows the DNR to contract with private entities to conduct the sampling and to pay private entities per sample taken.

AB552/SB549: AB552 was introduced 10/15/25 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Sporting Heritage. SB549 was introduced 10/17/25 and referred to the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage. Under these bills the DNR may research CWD in cervids in addition to managing and providing funding to conduct testing for CWD, which the DNR is authorized to do under current law. A cervid is any species of deer or elk that is present in the wild and is not a farm-raised deer. The bills also appropriate three million dollars annually from the general fund in fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 for research on and management of CWD. Current law appropriates no money for this purpose.

AB553/SB550: AB553 was introduced 10/15/25 and referred to the Assembly Committee on Sporting Heritage. SB550 was introduced 10/1725 and referred to the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage. These bills require the DNR to provide large metal containers where hunters may dispose of deer carcasses to be placed in locations throughout the state as determined by the DNR. The bills provide in the 2025-27 fiscal biennium one million dollars for the carcass disposal sites. The bills also provide in the 2025-27 fiscal biennium $500,000 for the DNR to provide education to hunters about CWD and the importance of proper carcass disposal.