Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session
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
- Introduced, stopped here
- Passes Senate, not reached
- Passes Assembly, not reached
- Governor signs, not reached
- 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: Carpenter (D) , Habush Sinykin (D) , Jagler (R) , Keyeski (D) , Ratcliff (D) , Spreitzer (D) , Wanggaard (R)
23 cosponsors
Anderson (D) , Armstrong (R) , Bare (D) , Behnke (R) , Billings (D) , DeSmidt (D) , Donovan (R) , Goodwin (D) , J. Jacobson (D) , Joers (D) , Kitchens (R) , Kreibich (R) , Maxey (R) , Melotik (R) , Miresse (D) , Mursau (R) , Palmeri (D) , Piwowarczyk (R) , Sheehan (D) , Sinicki (D) , Steffen (R) , Stubbs (D) , Udell (D)
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
Senate: Report passage recommended by Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development, Ayes 4, Noes 1
Passed 4–1 Mar 17, 2026 official source full pageNo individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Full history
- Sep 4, 2025 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Wanggaard, Carpenter, Habush Sinykin, Ratcliff, Spreitzer, Keyeski and Jagler; cosponsored by Representatives Kitchens, Joers, Armstrong, Udell, Miresse, DeSmidt, Piwowarczyk, Maxey, Palmeri, Kreibich, Bare, Goodwin, Donovan, Sheehan, Anderson, Sinicki, Behnke, Melotik, Mursau and Stubbs
- Sep 4, 2025 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development
- Nov 4, 2025 · Senate
Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senator Wanggaard
- Nov 4, 2025 · Senate
Representative Billings added as a cosponsor
- Nov 19, 2025 · Senate
Representative Steffen added as a cosponsor
- Jan 9, 2026 · Senate
Representative J. Jacobson added as a cosponsor
- Jan 22, 2026 · Senate
Senate Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Senator Wanggaard
- Jan 27, 2026 · Senate
Public hearing held
- Feb 12, 2026 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Mar 12, 2026 · Senate
Executive action taken
- Mar 17, 2026 · Senate
Report passage recommended by Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development, Ayes 4, Noes 1
- Mar 17, 2026 · Senate
Available for scheduling
- Mar 23, 2026 · Senate
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1