Assembly Bill 377
Killing or harming with a motor vehicle or motorboat wild animals and providing a penalty
Topics: Animal, Animal: Treatment, Boat, Court, Crime and criminals: Felony, Legislature: Criminal Penalties, Joint Review Committee on, Motor vehicle, Natural Resources, Department of: Recreation and boating, Recreation vehicle, Snowmobile
Stopped in committee
It had a but no committee vote, so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
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Introduced, passed
Aug 18, 2009
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. It had a hearing but no committee vote.
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Senate vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 28, 2010: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It sat with the Assembly Committee on Fish and Wildlife.
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Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Current law prohibits treating an animal in a cruel manner. The penalty for treating an animal in a cruel manner is a forfeiture except that if a person intentionally treats an animal in a cruel manner and the animal is mutilated or disfigured or dies as as result of the mistreatment, the act is a Class I felony, for which the penalty is a fine not to exceed $10,000 or imprisonment not to exceed three years and six months, or both.
This bill imposes the same felony penalty on a person who intentionally or recklessly kills or harms a wild mammal or bird by pursuing or harassing the mammal or bird with a motorboat or motor vehicle or by using the boat or vehicle to kill or harm the mammal or bird. If a person is convicted of this felony and placed on probation, the court, as a condition of the probation, may order the person to receive a mental health assessment. Also, if the convicted person used a snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle, motorboat, or personal watercraft (recreational vehicle), the court may order that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) suspend for a period of time, or permanently revoke, any registration certificate for any recreational vehicle that was issued to the convicted person or any trail pass or trail use sticker and may also order DNR to not issue any such registration certificates or trail passes or trail use stickers to the person in the future. The court may also suspend or permanently revoke the convicted person's privilege to operate a recreational vehicle.
Read the full summary Show less
Also, under the bill, a person who kills or harms any wild mammal or bird while operating a motorboat or a motor vehicle off of a roadway shall, without delay and by the quickest means available, give notice of the incident to a conservation warden or local law enforcement officer.
Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report concerning the proposed penalty and the costs or savings that are likely to result if the bill is enacted.
Who's behind it
18 lawmakers are its . 14 are Democrats and 4 are Republicans.
9 more lawmakers .
See all 27 names Hide the names
Authors (18)
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Penny Bernard Schaber · Democrat, Assembly
- Garey Bies · Republican, Assembly
- Spencer Black · Democrat, Assembly
- Edward Brooks · Republican, Assembly
- Steve Hilgenberg · Democrat, Assembly
- Ann Hraychuck · Democrat, Assembly
- Andy Jorgensen · Democrat, Assembly
- Louis Molepske Jr. · Democrat, Assembly
- Sandy Pasch · Democrat, Assembly
- Sondy Pope · Democrat, Assembly
- Christine Sinicki · Democrat, Assembly
- Jeff Smith · Democrat, Senate
- Richard Spanbauer · Republican, Assembly
- John Steinbrink · Democrat, Assembly
- Karl Van Roy · Republican, Assembly
- Amy Sue Vruwink · Democrat, Assembly
- Josh Zepnick · Democrat, Assembly
Signed on in support (9)
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Jon Erpenbach · Democrat, Senate
- Dave Hansen · Democrat, Senate
- Julie M. Lassa · Democrat, Senate
- John Lehman · Democrat, Senate
- Luther S. Olsen · Republican, Senate
- Jim Sullivan · Democrat, Senate
- Lena Taylor · Democrat, Senate
- Bob Wirch · Democrat, Senate
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
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Apr 28, 2010
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Sep 28, 2009
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Sep 23, 2009
The committee held a public hearing.
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Aug 26, 2009
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Aug 20, 2009
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Aug 18, 2009
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Fish and Wildlife.
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Aug 18, 2009
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Aug 18, 2009 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Jorgensen, Hraychuck, Bernard Schaber, Pasch, Brooks, Sinicki, Berceau, Pope-Roberts, Molepske Jr., Spanbauer, Hilgenberg, Black, Vruwink, Zepnick, Smith, Steinbrink, Bies and Van Roy;Cosponsored by Senators Hansen, Sullivan, Carpenter, Wirch, Olsen, Taylor, Lehman, Lassa and Erpenbach
- Aug 18, 2009 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to committee on Fish and Wildlife
- Aug 20, 2009 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Aug 26, 2009 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Aug 26, 2009 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Sep 23, 2009 · Assembly
Public hearing held
- Sep 28, 2009 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Apr 28, 2010 · Assembly
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate