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Bills from the 2009–10 session

Assembly Bill 837

Age restrictions, headgear requirements, and safety certificate requirements regarding the operation of an all-terrain vehicle

Topics: Children, Natural Resources, Department of: Recreation and boating, Recreation vehicle

Stopped before the full Assembly voted

The recommended passing it, but the full Assembly never voted on it. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Mar 11, 2010

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The full Assembly never voted on it.

  4. Senate vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Apr 28, 2010: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

Read the bill

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under current law, no person under the age of 12 may operate an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) unless he or she is operating the ATV for an agricultural purpose and he or she is under the supervision of a person over 18 years of age (agricultural purpose exception), or unless he or she is operating a small ATV on an ATV trail designated by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and he or she is accompanied by his or her parent. Current law defines "accompanied" to mean subject to continuous verbal direction or control. Under current law, supervision is a lesser standard because it does not require a person to be subject to continuous direction and control. Under an exception to the age restrictions in current law, a person who is under the age of 12 may operate any ATV if the person operates the ATV exclusively on land under the management and control of the person's immediate family (family property exception).

This bill allows a person under the age of 12 to operate an ATV any place that any other person may operate an ATV provided that the person under the age of 12 is operating a small ATV and he or she is accompanied, and not just supervised, by his or her parent or guardian or a person who is at least 18 years old who is designated by the parent or guardian (accompanied by a parent or designee).

Read the full summary

This bill maintains the agricultural purpose exception in current law so that a person under the age of 12 may still operate an ATV of any size for an agricultural purpose if he or she is under the supervision of a person over18 years of age. The bill also maintains the family property exception so that a person under the age of 12 need not operate a small ATV or be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other person in order to operate an ATV on land under the management and control of his or her immediate family.

Current law imposes certain restrictions on the operation of an ATV on a roadway. One of those restrictions prohibits a person under the age of 12 from operating an ATV on a roadway unless the agricultural purpose exception applies and the ATV is not an implement of husbandry. This bill allows a person who is under the age of 12 to operate an ATV on a roadway, regardless of the purpose, provided that the ATV is a small ATV and the person is accompanied by a parent or designee.

Under current law, no person who is at least 12 years of age and who was born on or after January 1, 1988, may operate an ATV unless he or she holds a valid safety certificate issued by DNR that indicates that the person successfully completed a program of instruction on ATV laws and safety. A person who operates an ATV exclusively on land under the management and control of the person's immediate family is exempt from this requirement. This bill creates an additional exemption.

The bill provides that a person is exempt from the safety certificate requirement if the person operates an ATV at a sponsored ATV demonstration event, the sponsor of the event requires the person to wear protective headgear, and the person operates the ATV in a closed-course area at a speed not exceeding 15 miles per hour. If the person is under 18 years of age, the person must be accompanied by a parent or designee.

Under current law, with certain exceptions, a person who is under 18 years of age must wear protective headgear if the person operates or is a passenger of an ATV.

Among the exceptions to this requirement is an exception for a person who is traveling for the purposes of hunting or fishing and who is at least 12 years old. This bill eliminates this exception to the headgear requirement.

Who's behind it

2 representatives are its ⁠. 1 is a Democrat and 1 is a Republican.

5 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 7 names

Authors (2)

Signed on in support (5)

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

How lawmakers voted

There was one vote on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Tourism vote on an amendment

Passed, 9 to 0 · Apr 16, 2010

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by committee on Tourism, Recreation and State Properties, Ayes 9, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Apr 28, 2010

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Apr 16, 2010

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  3. Apr 16, 2010

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 8 to 1.

  4. Mar 17, 2010

    The committee held a public hearing.

  5. Mar 11, 2010

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Tourism, Recreation and State Properties.

  6. Mar 11, 2010

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Mar 11, 2010 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Vruwink and Suder;Cosponsored by Senators Plale, Holperin, Taylor, Hansen and Grothman

  2. Mar 11, 2010 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Tourism, Recreation and State Properties

  3. Mar 17, 2010 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. Apr 14, 2010 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  5. Apr 14, 2010 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 1 offered by committee on Tourism, Recreation and State Properties

  6. Apr 16, 2010 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by committee on Tourism, Recreation and State Properties, Ayes 9, Noes 0

  7. Apr 16, 2010 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by committee on Tourism, Recreation and State Properties, Ayes 8, Noes 1

  8. Apr 16, 2010 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  9. Apr 20, 2010 · Assembly

    Made a special order of business at 11:09 A.M. on 4-22-2010 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 26

  10. Apr 22, 2010 · Assembly

    Assembly substitute amendment 1 offered by Representative Danou

  11. Apr 22, 2010 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 2 offered by Representative Vruwink

  12. 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.

More in the glossary

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

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. 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.

More in the glossary

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

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote

More in the glossary