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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 436

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: requiring animal testing facilities and breeders to offer certain dogs and cats for adoption to releasing agencies and providing a penalty. (FE)

Agriculture trade and consumer protection department of Animal — Treatment Cats Dogs

  1. Introduced, stopped here
  2. Passes Assembly, not reached
  3. Passes Senate, not reached
  4. Governor signs, not reached
  5. Law, not reached

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill requires animal testing facilities and persons that breed cats or dogs for sale or transfer to an animal testing facility to offer to a releasing agency for eventual adoption certain dogs and cats that do not pose a risk to public health. A “releasing agency” is defined to mean an animal shelter, humane society, animal welfare organization, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, home-based rescue, or other entity that provides individuals with animals for adoption as companion animals. The bill requires that, if an animal testing facility is operated by a state agency or an institution of higher education, the state agency or institution of higher education may develop its own internal adoption program to effectuate the requirements of the bill.

The bill also requires animal testing facilities and breeders to annually report to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection certain information about the dogs and cats that they offer to transfer to releasing agency.

A person who violates the provisions of the bill shall be subject to a forfeiture not to exceed $5,000.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Anderson (D) , Armstrong (R) , Bare (D) , Behnke (R) , DeSmidt (D) , Donovan (R) , Goodwin (D) , Joers (D) , Kitchens (R) , Kreibich (R) , Maxey (R) , Melotik (R) , Miresse (D) , Mursau (R) , Palmeri (D) , Piwowarczyk (R) , Sheehan (D) , Sinicki (D) , Stubbs (D) , Udell (D)

10 cosponsors

Billings (D) , Carpenter (D) , Habush Sinykin (D) , J. Jacobson (D) , Jagler (R) , Keyeski (D) , Ratcliff (D) , Spreitzer (D) , Steffen (R) , Wanggaard (R)

Registered lobbying interests · 5

Organizations that registered lobbying activity on this bill with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Registration means interest, not a position for or against. Official record

Votes

Assembly: Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on State Affairs, Ayes 7, Noes 3

Passed 7–3 Feb 12, 2026 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Assembly: Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on State Affairs, Ayes 10, Noes 0

Passed 10–0 Feb 12, 2026 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Full history

  1. Sep 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Kitchens, Joers, Armstrong, Udell, Miresse, DeSmidt, Piwowarczyk, Maxey, Palmeri, Kreibich, Bare, Goodwin, Donovan, Sheehan, Anderson, Sinicki, Behnke, Melotik, Mursau and Stubbs; cosponsored by Senators Wanggaard, Carpenter, Habush Sinykin, Ratcliff, Spreitzer, Keyeski and Jagler

  2. Sep 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs

  3. Nov 4, 2025 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Kitchens

  4. Nov 4, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Billings added as a coauthor

  5. Nov 19, 2025 · Assembly

    Representative Steffen added as a coauthor

  6. Jan 8, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative J. Jacobson added as a coauthor

  7. Jan 22, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Kitchens

  8. Feb 11, 2026 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  9. Feb 11, 2026 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  10. Feb 11, 2026 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  11. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on State Affairs, Ayes 7, Noes 3

  12. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on State Affairs, Ayes 10, Noes 0

  13. Feb 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  14. Feb 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Made a special order of business at 11:21 AM on 2-19-2026 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 14

  15. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  16. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adopted

  17. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  18. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  19. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  20. Feb 19, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  21. Feb 23, 2026 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  22. Feb 25, 2026 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development

  23. Mar 23, 2026 · Senate

    Failed to concur in pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1