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Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

AB 881

Vetoed Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: water diversion or elevation projects in towns.

Natural resources department of — Environmental protection Town Waterways and water power

  1. Introduced, completed
  2. Passes Assembly, completed
  3. Passes Senate, stopped here
  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

Under this bill, except in the case of an emergency, the Department of Natural Resources may not initiate, authorize, or issue a permit for a project located in a town that involves the use of stationary or portable pumps or other mechanisms that divert water to locations where water is not naturally occurring or that raise water elevation above what is naturally occurring unless the town board of the town in which the activity will occur approves the project by resolution. This limits DNR’s general authority under current law to regulate and control the level and flow of water in navigable waters and to divert the flow of water of a body of water for the purpose of flood control and prevention, including when such a diversion creates an artificial water body.

Sponsors

Introduced by: Born (R) , Tucker (R)

4 cosponsors

Kurtz (R) , Moses (R) , Quinn (R) , Stafsholt (R)

Registered lobbying interests · 7

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 passage recommended by Committee on Environment, Ayes 4, Noes 2

Passed 4–2 Jan 30, 2026 official source full page

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

Senate: Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 3, Noes 2

Passed 3–2 Mar 9, 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. Jan 16, 2026 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Tucker and Born; cosponsored by Senator Quinn

  2. Jan 16, 2026 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Environment

  3. Jan 20, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative Kurtz added as a coauthor

  4. Jan 21, 2026 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  5. Jan 29, 2026 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  6. Jan 30, 2026 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Environment, Ayes 4, Noes 2

  7. Jan 30, 2026 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  8. Feb 2, 2026 · Assembly

    Representative Moses added as a coauthor

  9. Feb 9, 2026 · Assembly

    Senator Stafsholt added as a cosponsor

  10. Feb 17, 2026 · Assembly

    Made a special order of business at 1:28 PM on 2-18-2026 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 13

  11. Feb 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Neubauer

  12. Feb 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  13. Feb 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 2 offered by Representative Tucker

  14. Feb 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Assembly Substitute Amendment 2 adopted

  15. Feb 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  16. Feb 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  17. Feb 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed

  18. Feb 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  19. Feb 19, 2026 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  20. Feb 20, 2026 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry

  21. Mar 2, 2026 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  22. Mar 9, 2026 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  23. Mar 9, 2026 · Senate

    Report concurrence recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 3, Noes 2

  24. Mar 9, 2026 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  25. Mar 16, 2026 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 3-17-2026 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  26. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Read a second time

  27. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  28. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  29. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in

  30. Mar 17, 2026 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  31. Mar 18, 2026 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  32. Mar 20, 2026 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 3-20-2026

  33. Apr 2, 2026 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 4-2-2026

  34. Apr 8, 2026 · Assembly

    Report vetoed by the Governor on 4-8-2026

  35. May 12, 2026 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 5-12-2026 pursuant to Joint Rule 82 (2)(a)

  36. May 13, 2026 · Assembly

    Failed to pass notwithstanding the objections of the Governor pursuant to Joint Rule 82