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Bills from the 2015–16 session

Assembly Bill 527

Authorizing a person to shoot to kill an animal wounded by certain hunters

Became law

The governor signed it on Mar 2, 2016. It's ⁠.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Nov 18, 2015

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed Feb 9, 2016

  4. Senate vote, passed

    Passed Feb 16, 2016

  5. Governor, passed

    Signed

  6. Law, here now

    2015 Wisconsin Act 225

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 2, 2016: “Published 3-2-2016”

Read the bill

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What it does

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

This bill allows a person, under certain circumstances, to kill an animal shot and wounded by another person while hunting.

Generally, current law prohibits a person from hunting unless the person holds a license, permit, tag, or other approval issued by the Department of Natural Resources. Current law also imposes various other restrictions on hunters, including season restrictions and bag and possession limits, that vary depending on the animal for which a hunting approval is issued.

Read the full summary

This bill allows an adult to shoot to kill an animal lawfully shot by a youth but not killed. The bill provides that if a youth mortally wounds an animal while lawfully hunting, and if the youth requests that the adult shoot to kill the animal, the adult may do so as long as the adult has any valid hunting approval. Under current law, the hunting mentorship program allows a person with a valid hunting license to hunt without obtaining a hunter safety certificate if he or she hunts with a qualified mentor and meets certain other conditions. This bill allows a person serving as a qualified mentor under the hunter mentorship program to shoot to kill an animal mortally wounded but not killed by a person for whom he or she is serving as a mentor. The mentor's authority to shoot to kill the animal applies only if the person who wounded the animal requests that the mentor shoot to kill the animal.

Under the bill, a person who kills an animal for another person as authorized under the bill is exempt from any bag or possession limits that would otherwise apply to the hunting of the animal killed.

Who's behind it

22 lawmakers are its ⁠. 14 are Republicans and 8 are Democrats.

6 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 28 names

Authors (22)

Signed on in support (6)

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 were 3 votes on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage vote on an amendment

Passed, 15 to 0 · Jan 13, 2016

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

Official motion: “Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage, Ayes 15, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Assembly Committee on Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage vote to recommend it

Passed, 15 to 0 · Jan 13, 2016

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

Official motion: “Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage, Ayes 15, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate vote

Passed, 3 to 2 · Feb 15, 2016

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

Official motion: “Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 2, 2016

    The new law was published.

  2. Mar 2, 2016

    The governor signed it. It became 2015 Wisconsin Act 225.

  3. Feb 29, 2016

    Sent to the governor.

  4. Feb 16, 2016

    The Senate passed it too.

  5. Feb 15, 2016

    “Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2” (the official wording)

  6. Feb 11, 2016

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Senate Organization.

  7. Feb 10, 2016

    The Senate received it.

  8. Feb 9, 2016

    The Assembly passed it.

  9. Feb 9, 2016

    The Assembly adopted it.

  10. Jan 13, 2016

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  11. Jan 13, 2016

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 15 to 0.

  12. Dec 9, 2015

    The committee held a public hearing.

  13. Nov 18, 2015

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage.

  14. Nov 18, 2015

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Nov 18, 2015 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Kleefisch, Bernier, Born, R. Brooks, Considine, Czaja, Danou, Edming, Gannon, Kahl, Kremer, Krug, T. Larson, Milroy, A. Ott, Rohrkaste, Shankland, Skowronski, Spreitzer, Subeck, Tittl and Zamarripa; cosponsored by Senators Moulton, Marklein, Miller, Olsen, Ringhand and Wirch

  2. Nov 18, 2015 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage

  3. Dec 9, 2015 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. Dec 21, 2015 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Kleefisch

  5. Jan 6, 2016 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  6. Jan 13, 2016 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage, Ayes 15, Noes 0

  7. Jan 13, 2016 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage, Ayes 15, Noes 0

  8. Jan 13, 2016 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  9. Feb 4, 2016 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 2-9-2016 by Committee on Rules

  10. Feb 9, 2016 · Assembly

    Rules suspended to withdraw from calendar and take up

  11. Feb 9, 2016 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  12. Feb 9, 2016 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adopted

  13. Feb 9, 2016 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  14. Feb 9, 2016 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  15. Feb 9, 2016 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  16. Feb 9, 2016 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  17. Feb 10, 2016 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  18. Feb 11, 2016 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization

  19. Feb 11, 2016 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  20. Feb 15, 2016 · Senate

    Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2

  21. Feb 15, 2016 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 2-16-2016 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  22. Feb 16, 2016 · Senate

    Read a second time

  23. Feb 16, 2016 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  24. Feb 16, 2016 · Senate

    Rules suspended

  25. Feb 16, 2016 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in

  26. Feb 16, 2016 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  27. Feb 17, 2016 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  28. Feb 25, 2016 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 2-25-2016

  29. Feb 29, 2016 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 2-29-2016

  30. Mar 2, 2016 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 3-1-2016. 2015 Wisconsin Act 225

  31. Mar 2, 2016 · Assembly

    Published 3-2-2016

Terms on this page

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act. 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

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act

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