Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB61 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
2	2	LRB-2001/1
3	3	MJW:skw
4	4	2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 61
5	5	February 24, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives NEDWESKI, DITTRICH,
6	6	PIWOWARCZYK, ANDRACA, ARMSTRONG, BEHNKE, BRILL, CALLAHAN, DONOVAN,
7	7	GOEBEN, GUNDRUM, B. JACOBSON, KAUFERT, KITCHENS, KREIBICH, MAXEY,
8	8	MIRESSE, O'CONNOR, PENTERMAN, SINICKI, STEFFEN, TITTL and WICHGERS,
9	9	cosponsored by Senators WANGGAARD, CARPENTER, L. JOHNSON, MARKLEIN
10	10	and NASS. Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.
11	11
12	12	*AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
13	13	AN ACT to amend 951.18 (2m) of the statutes; relating to: injuring or killing a
14	14	police or fire animal and providing a penalty.
15	15	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
16	16	Under current law, no person may do any of the following to any animal that is
17	17	used by a law enforcement agency or fire department to perform agency or
18	18	department functions or duties: frighten, intimidate, threaten, abuse, or harass
19	19	the animal; strike, shove, kick, or otherwise subject the animal to physical contact;
20	20	or strike the animal by using a dangerous weapon. Under current law, any person
21	21	who intentionally does any of those actions and causes injury to the animal is guilty
22	22	of a Class I felony, and any person who intentionally does any of those actions and
23	23	causes death of the animal is guilty of a Class H felony. Additionally, for such a
24	24	violation, a sentencing court must require a criminal violator to pay restitution,
25	25	including veterinary care expenses or the value of a replacement animal.
26	26	This bill increases the penalty for injuring such an animal to a Class H felony
27	27	and the penalty for causing the death of such an animal to a Class G felony. A Class
28	28	H felony is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment for up to six years,
29	29	or both, and a Class G felony is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 or
30	30	imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both.
31	31	Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime,
32	32	1
33	33	2 2025 - 2026 Legislature
34	34	ASSEMBLY BILL 61
35	35	- 2 - LRB-2001/1
36	36	MJW:skw
37	37	SECTION 1
38	38	the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a
39	39	report.
40	40	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
41	41	enact as follows:
42	42	SECTION 1. 951.18 (2m) of the statutes is amended to read:
43	43	951.18 (2m) Any person who violates s. 951.095 is subject to a Class B
44	44	forfeiture. Any person who intentionally or negligently violates s. 951.095, knowing
45	45	that the animal that is the victim is used by a law enforcement agency or fire
46	46	department to perform agency or department functions or duties, is guilty of a
47	47	Class A misdemeanor. Any person who intentionally violates s. 951.095, knowing
48	48	that the animal that is the victim is used by a law enforcement agency or fire
49	49	department to perform agency or department functions or duties and causing
50	50	injury to the animal, is guilty of a Class I H felony. Any person who intentionally
51	51	violates s. 951.095, knowing that the animal that is the victim is used by a law
52	52	enforcement agency or fire department to perform agency or department functions
53	53	or duties and causing death to the animal, is guilty of a Class H G felony.
54	54	(END)
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