Senate Bill 961
Cross-country ski 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
Feb 6, 2026
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Senate vote, not reached
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Assembly 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 Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage. The committee's chair at the time was Rob Stafsholt. 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 Assembly as AB 979. 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 cross-country skiing on state-owned land unless a cross-country ski permit is permanently affixed in a highly visible location on the forward half of one ski or the person is carrying proof of a valid temporary cross-country ski permit receipt, which the person must exhibit to DNR or its wardens or other law enforcement officers on demand. Under the bill, a temporary cross-country ski permit receipt means a receipt issued by DNR or its agent that shows that an application and the required fees for a cross-country ski permit have been submitted.
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 person who is authorized to cross-country ski on state-owned land under a separate trail pass or as part of an organized event is not required to have a cross-country ski permit. The bill specifies that a cross-country ski permit does not authorize a person to cross-country ski in an area on state-owned land where cross-country skiing is prohibited.
Read the full summary Show less
Under the bill, DNR must issue a cross-country ski permit and a temporary cross-country ski permit receipt 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 and receipts or appoint persons who are not DNR employees as its agents to issue the permits and receipts. The bill sets the fee for the permit at $40 for an adult, $20 for a child age 12 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 12 years of age or older. The bill allows a DNR agent to retain 50 cents of such an issuing fee as compensation for issuing temporary cross-country ski permit receipts.
Who's behind it
2 senators are its . All 2 are Republicans.
2 more lawmakers .
See all 4 names Hide the names
Authors (2)
- Romaine Quinn · Republican, Senate
- Rob Stafsholt · Republican, Senate
Signed on in support (2)
- Brent Jacobson · Republican, Assembly
- Chanz Green · Republican, Assembly
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 4, 2026
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Feb 6, 2026
Sent to the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage.
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Feb 6, 2026
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Feb 6, 2026 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Stafsholt and Quinn; cosponsored by Representatives Green and B. Jacobson
- Feb 6, 2026 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage
- Mar 4, 2026 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Mar 23, 2026 · Senate
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