Senate Bill 964
Registration requirements for nonmotorized boats. (FE)
Topics: Boat, Natural Resources, Department of: Recreation and boating
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 977. 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.
Under current law, no person may operate, and no owner may give permission for the operation of, any boat on the waters of the state unless the boat is covered by a registration issued by the Department of Natural Resources or is exempt from that registration requirement. This bill narrows a current law exemption from registration requirements for a nonmotorized boat that is not a sailboat so that it only applies if one occupant of the boat holds a valid fishing license. Current law defines “nonmotorized boat” to mean a boat that is not a motorboat but that is designed and constructed to be used as a boat for transportation of a person on water, including a canoe, sailboat, inflatable boat or similar device, row boat, raft, or dinghy that is not a motorboat.
The bill adds another exemption for a nonmotorized boat that is not a sailboat and that is operated within a vehicle admission area 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.
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