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Bills from the 2021–22 session

Assembly Bill 578

Electing to be a donor of an anatomical gift when applying for a hunting, fishing, or trapping license and making an appropriation. (FE)

Became law

The governor signed it on Apr 8, 2022. It's ⁠.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Sep 22, 2021

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed Feb 23, 2022

  4. Senate vote, passed

    Passed Mar 8, 2022

  5. Governor, passed

    Signed

  6. Law, here now

    2021 Wisconsin Act 220

Latest entry in the official record, Apr 8, 2022: “Published 4-9-2022”

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 requires the Department of Natural Resources to provide a method by which a resident of this state who is 15 and one-half years of age or older, or an emancipated minor, who applies for a hunting, fishing, or trapping license may elect to include his or her name as a donor of an anatomical gift in the record of potential donors maintained by the Department of Transportation (donor registry) and to so indicate on a printed license, a conservation card, or a donor card. The bill requires DNR to transmit information about applicants who elect to be included in the donor registry to DOT, and requires DOT to record donor authorizations received from DNR in the donor registry even if the person does not have an operator's license or identification card issued by DOT. Under current law, DOT must maintain those records and disclose them to an eye bank, organ procurement organization, or tissue bank under certain circumstances.

Under the bill, this method for electing to be a donor is similar to the method by which a person may, under current law, elect to be a donor in an application to DOT for an operator's license or identification card. However, under current law, a person applying for an operator's license or identification card who elects to be a donor must also indicate that election in the space provided on the license or card. Under this bill, electing to be a donor on an application to DNR for a hunting, fishing, or trapping license is sufficient to authorize a gift; the applicant may, but is not required to, indicate that election in the space that the bill requires to be provided on a license or conservation card. In addition, current law is more specific about how an anatomical gift may be described in the space provided on a driver's license or identification card than this bill is about an anatomical gift on a DNR license or conservation card. The bill also does not include provisions similar to those under current law that allow a person to refuse to be a donor of an anatomical gift by so indicating on the space provided on a driver's license or identification card and to revoke or amend an anatomical gift by crossing out the donor authorization. In addition, the bill does not require a space to be designated where an organ donor sticker may be affixed as current law requires on a driver's license or identification card.

Read the full summary

Under current law, DOT is required to cooperate with the Department of Health Services in establishing a donor registry. This bill requires DNR to also cooperate with DHS for this purpose.

Who's behind it

10 lawmakers are its ⁠. 6 are Republicans and 4 are Democrats.

10 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 20 names

Authors (10)

Signed on in support (10)

What it would cost

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

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 Sporting Heritage vote to recommend it

Passed, 14 to 0 · Feb 22, 2022

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

Official motion: “Report passage recommended by Committee on Sporting Heritage, Ayes 14, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Assembly vote to pass it

Passed, 96 to 0 · Feb 23, 2022 · 3 didn't vote

See how each of the 99 representatives voted

D: Democrat, R: Republican

Yes (96)

Didn't vote (3)

Official motion: “PASSAGE”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate vote

Passed, 3 to 2 · Mar 4, 2022

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. Apr 8, 2022

    The new law was published.

  2. Apr 8, 2022

    The governor signed it. It became 2021 Wisconsin Act 220.

  3. Apr 4, 2022

    Sent to the governor.

  4. Mar 8, 2022

    The Senate passed it too.

  5. Mar 8, 2022

    1 more senator signed on in support.

  6. Mar 4, 2022

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

  7. Mar 1, 2022

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Senate Organization.

  8. Feb 24, 2022

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Sporting Heritage, Small Business and Rural Issues.

  9. Feb 23, 2022

    The Senate received it.

  10. Feb 23, 2022

    The Assembly passed it, 96 to 0.

  11. Feb 23, 2022

    The Assembly adopted it.

  12. Feb 23, 2022

    “Withdrawn from joint committee on Finance and taken up” (the official wording)

  13. Feb 23, 2022

    Sent to the Joint Committee on Finance.

  14. Feb 22, 2022

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  15. Feb 22, 2022

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 14 to 0.

  16. Jan 18, 2022 to Feb 22, 2022

    2 more representatives signed on in support.

  17. Jan 12, 2022

    The committee held a public hearing.

  18. Nov 8, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  19. Oct 12, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  20. Oct 5, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  21. Sep 22, 2021

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Sporting Heritage.

  22. Sep 22, 2021

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Sep 22, 2021 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Thiesfeldt, Knodl, L. Myers, Baldeh, Moses, Rozar, Skowronski, Sinicki, Spreitzer and Tusler; cosponsored by Senators Feyen, L. Taylor, Cowles, Agard, Ballweg, Carpenter and Roys

  2. Sep 22, 2021 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Sporting Heritage

  3. Oct 5, 2021 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Oct 12, 2021 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Nov 8, 2021 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Jan 12, 2022 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  7. Jan 18, 2022 · Assembly

    Representative Shelton added as a coauthor

  8. Feb 22, 2022 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  9. Feb 22, 2022 · Assembly

    Representative Shankland added as a coauthor

  10. Feb 22, 2022 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Sporting Heritage, Ayes 14, Noes 0

  11. Feb 22, 2022 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  12. Feb 22, 2022 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representatives Thiesfeldt and Pronschinske

  13. Feb 22, 2022 · Assembly

    Made a special order of business at 8:28 AM on 2-23-2022 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 29

  14. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  15. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Referred to joint committee on Finance

  16. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Withdrawn from joint committee on Finance and taken up

  17. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 adopted

  18. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  19. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  20. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 96, Noes 0

  21. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  22. Feb 23, 2022 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  23. Feb 24, 2022 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Sporting Heritage, Small Business and Rural Issues

  24. Mar 1, 2022 · Senate

    Withdrawn from committee on Sporting Heritage, Small Business and Rural Issues and rereferred to committee on Senate Organization pursuant to Senate Rule 46(2)(c)

  25. Mar 1, 2022 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  26. Mar 4, 2022 · Senate

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

  27. Mar 4, 2022 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 3-8-2022 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  28. Mar 8, 2022 · Senate

    Senator Darling added as a cosponsor

  29. Mar 8, 2022 · Senate

    Read a second time

  30. Mar 8, 2022 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  31. Mar 8, 2022 · Senate

    Rules suspended

  32. Mar 8, 2022 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in

  33. Mar 8, 2022 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  34. Mar 9, 2022 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  35. Mar 15, 2022 · Assembly

    LRB correction

  36. Mar 15, 2022 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 3-15-2022

  37. Apr 4, 2022 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 4-4-2022 by directive of the Speaker

  38. Apr 8, 2022 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 4-8-2022. 2021 Wisconsin Act 220

  39. Apr 8, 2022 · Assembly

    Published 4-9-2022

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

Cost estimate

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

Official term: Fiscal estimate. 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

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

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

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

Roll call

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

Official term: Roll call vote