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Bills from the 2011–12 session

Senate Bill 365

Snowmobile registration, trail use sticker requirements, calculating the estimated snowmobile gas tax payment, and funding for supplemental snowmobile trail aids

Topics: Excise tax, Gasoline: Taxation, Natural Resources, Department of: Recreation and boating, 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.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Jan 5, 2012

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. It had a hearing but no committee vote.

  3. Senate vote, not reached

  4. Assembly vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2012: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

It sat with the Senate Committee on Transportation and Elections.

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.

Current law prohibits a person from operating a snowmobile in this state unless the snowmobile is covered by a public-use or private-use registration issued by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or is exempt from registration. A person who owns a snowmobile is generally exempt from snowmobile registration requirements in this state if the snowmobile is covered by a valid registration in another state or country. A public-use registration is valid for two years and a private-use registration is valid until ownership of the snowmobile is transferred.

This bill eliminates the two-year registration period for a public-use registration and provides that a public-use registration is valid until ownership of the snowmobile is transferred. The bill also lowers the public-use registration fee from $30 to $15.

Read the full summary

Under current law, a person who owns a snowmobile that is not registered in this state or is exempt from registration must display a trail use sticker issued by DNR on the snowmobile. The fee for this sticker is $34.25. This bill requires all snowmobiles to display a trail use sticker, regardless of whether the snowmobile is registered in this state. The bill provides that the fee for a trail use sticker issued for a snowmobile that is registered in this state is $14.25 if the snowmobile is owned by a snowmobile club member and $34.25 if the owner does not belong to a snowmobile club.

Under current law, DNR provides funding from the snowmobile account in the conservation fund for snowmobile regulation purposes including aids to counties for activities such as snowmobile trail development and maintenance and law enforcement. Currently, these activities are funded by snowmobile fees and by moneys transferred from the transportation fund to the conservation fund. The amount of this transfer equals the estimated snowmobile gas tax formula. The estimated snowmobile gas tax formula amount is based on an estimate of the amount of excise tax paid on gasoline by operators of all snowmobiles registered in this state.

Beginning with fiscal year 2013-14, this bill bases the estimated snowmobile gas tax formula on an estimate of the excise tax paid on gasoline by operators of registered snowmobiles in this state who are issued a trail use sticker.

Current law also requires DNR to calculate an amount equal to the number of trail use stickers issued by DNR in the previous fiscal year multiplied by $32 and to credit this amount to an appropriation account that funds aids to counties for activities such as trail development and maintenance. This bill changes the basis on which DNR must calculate the amount to be credited to that appropriation. Under the bill, DNR must credit an amount equal to the number of trail use stickers issued in the previous fiscal year to owners of snowmobiles that are exempt from registration multiplied by $34.25.

Who's behind it

11 senators are its ⁠. 7 are Democrats and 4 are Republicans.

27 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 38 names

Authors (11)

Signed on in support (27)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

What happened

  1. Mar 23, 2012

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Mar 1, 2012

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  3. Feb 14, 2012

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  4. Feb 9, 2012

    The committee held a public hearing.

  5. Jan 30, 2012

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  6. Jan 5, 2012

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Transportation and Elections.

  7. Jan 5, 2012

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Jan 5, 2012 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Olsen, Holperin, Erpenbach, Hansen, Jauch, Lasee, Lassa, Leibham, Schultz, Taylor and T. Cullen;Cosponsored by Representatives Ballweg, Loudenbeck, Bernier, Brooks, Danou, Endsley, Jacque, Kestell, Knilans, Krug, LeMahieu, Marklein, Milroy, Nygren, A. Ott, Ringhand, Ripp, Severson, Spanbauer, Thiesfeldt, Tranel, Van Roy, Wynn, Petryk, Jorgensen and Kerkman

  2. Jan 5, 2012 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Transportation and Elections

  3. Jan 30, 2012 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Feb 9, 2012 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  5. Feb 14, 2012 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Mar 1, 2012 · Senate

    Representative Nerison added as a cosponsor

  7. Mar 23, 2012 · Senate

    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

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

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

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.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

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

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate

More in the glossary