Assembly Bill 978
Hiking permits, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation. (FE)
Topics: Natural Resources, Department of: Recreation and boating, Public land
Stopped in committee
It never got a , so it never came up for a vote. The last day for votes this session was Mar 19, 2026. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
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Introduced, passed
Jan 30, 2026
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Senate vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2026: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Sporting Heritage. The committee's chair at the time was Treig Pronschinske. Chairs decide which bills get a hearing. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
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The same bill was also filed in the Senate as SB 960. That version died when the session ended.
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
This bill prohibits a person from traveling by foot on a groomed hiking trail on state-owned land unless the Department of Natural Resources has issued the person a hiking permit. The bill requires such a person to carry proof of the hiking permit at all times while traveling by foot on a groomed hiking trail on state-owned land and to exhibit this proof to DNR or its wardens or other law enforcement officers on demand. The bill specifies that a hiking permit does not authorize a person to hike in an area on state-owned land where hiking is prohibited.
The bill excludes from this prohibition vehicle admission areas, where, under current law, a vehicle admission receipt is generally required in order for a vehicle to enter. Vehicle admission areas include all state parks, the Richard Bong state recreation area, the Wisconsin Dells natural area, the Point Beach state forest, certain recreational areas in other state forests, certain designated use zones within recreation areas, and most roadside parks. Under the bill, a hiking permit is not required to travel by foot on a groomed hiking trail on state-owned land if doing so is incidental to an activity that the person is authorized to do under a DNR approval or registration, the person is authorized to do so on a state trail under a state trail pass, or the person is authorized to do so as part of an organized and authorized event.
Read the full summary Show less
Under the bill, DNR must issue a hiking permit to a person who applies for the permit and who pays the required fees, and the permit is valid for the calendar year in which it is issued. The bill authorizes DNR to directly issue the permits, appoint persons who are not DNR employees as its agents to issue the permits, or contract with persons who are not DNR employees to operate a statewide automated system for issuing permits. The bill sets the fee for the permit at $20 for an adult, $10 for a child 12 years of age or older, and $0 for a child under the age of 12, with a 75 cent issuing fee for each permit issued to a person age 12 or older. The bill allows a DNR agent to retain 50 cents of such an issuing fee. The bill also requires DNR to establish a system under which DNR pays each agent 50 cents for each time that the agent processes a transaction through the statewide automated system.
Who's behind it
2 representatives are its . All 2 are Republicans.
2 more lawmakers .
See all 4 names Hide the names
Authors (2)
- Brent Jacobson · Republican, Assembly
- Chanz Green · Republican, Assembly
Signed on in support (2)
- Romaine Quinn · Republican, Senate
- Rob Stafsholt · Republican, Senate
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
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Mar 23, 2026
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Mar 11, 2026
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Jan 30, 2026
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Sporting Heritage.
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Jan 30, 2026
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Jan 30, 2026 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Green and B. Jacobson; cosponsored by Senators Stafsholt and Quinn
- Jan 30, 2026 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Sporting Heritage
- Mar 11, 2026 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Mar 23, 2026 · Assembly
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.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
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
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