This bill prohibits harassing any service animal, not just a service dog, and
applies the definition of "service animal" that is applicable to discrimination in a
public accommodation, as amended by this bill, to the crime of harassing a service
animal.
Also under current law, dog owners must pay a tax for their dogs, except a dog
owner is not required to pay the tax for a service dog. The bill adopts the definition
of service animal that is applicable to discrimination in a public accommodation for
purposes of the service dog exemption from the dog tax.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB287, s. 1 1Section 1. 106.52 (1) (fm) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB287,3,52 106.52 (1) (fm) "Service animal" means a guide dog, signal dog, or other animal
3that is individually trained or is being trained to do work or perform physical tasks
4for the benefit of a person with a to mitigate a person's disability, including the work
5or
task of guiding a person with impaired vision, who is blind, as defined in s. 47.01
6(1), or visually impaired, as defined in s. 47.01 (5), the task of
alerting a person with
7impaired hearing to intruders or sound, providing minimal protection or rescue
8work,
who is deaf or hard of hearing to specific sounds, and such tasks as pulling a

1wheelchair, or fetching lending balance support, picking up dropped items, or
2providing assistance in a medical crisis for a person with a disability other than
3blindness, visual impairment, deafness, or hardness of hearing. An animal's
4presence for comfort, protection, or defense of a person does not constitute
5performing a physical task to mitigate a person's disability
.
AB287, s. 2 6Section 2. 174.055 of the statutes is amended to read:
AB287,3,12 7174.055 Exemption of service dogs for blind, deaf and
8mobility-impaired
. Every dog specially trained to lead blind or deaf persons or to
9provide support for mobility-impaired persons
that is a service animal, as defined
10in s. 106.52 (1) (fm),
is exempt from the dog license tax and every person owning such
11a dog shall receive annually a free dog license from the local collecting officer upon
12application.
AB287, s. 3 13Section 3. 951.01 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB287,3,1614 951.01 (5) "Service dog" means a dog that is trained for the purpose of assisting
15a person with a sensory, mental, or physical disability or accommodating such a
16disability
animal" has the meaning given in s. 106.52 (1) (fm).
AB287, s. 4 17Section 4. 951.097 of the statutes is amended to read:
AB287,3,21 18951.097 Harassment of service dogs animals. (1) (a) Any person may
19provide notice to another person in any manner that the latter person's behavior is
20interfering with the use of a service dog animal and may request that the latter
21person stop engaging in that behavior.
AB287,3,2322 (b) No person, after receiving a notice and request under par. (a) regarding a
23service dog animal, may do any of the following:
AB287,3,2524 1. Recklessly interfere with the use of the service dog animal by obstructing or
25intimidating it or otherwise jeopardizing its safety or the safety of its user.
AB287,4,2
12. Intentionally interfere with the use of the service dog animal by obstructing
2or intimidating it or otherwise jeopardizing its safety or the safety of its user.
AB287,4,5 3(2) (a) No person may recklessly allow his or her dog to interfere with the use
4of a service dog animal by obstructing or intimidating it or otherwise jeopardizing
5its safety or the safety of its user.
AB287,4,86 (b) No person may intentionally allow his or her dog to interfere with the use
7of a service dog animal by obstructing or intimidating it or otherwise jeopardizing
8its safety or the safety of its user.
AB287,4,10 9(3) (a) No person may recklessly injure a service dog animal or recklessly allow
10his or her dog to injure a service dog animal.
AB287,4,1211 (b) No person may intentionally injure a service dog animal or intentionally
12allow his or her dog to injure a service dog animal.
AB287,4,13 13(4) (a) No person may recklessly cause the death of a service dog animal.
AB287,4,1414 (b) No person may intentionally cause the death of a service dog animal.
AB287,4,17 15(5) No person may take possession of or exert control over a service dog animal
16without the consent of its owner or user and with the intent to deprive another of the
17use of the service dog animal.
AB287, s. 5 18Section 5. 951.18 (2s) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB287,5,219 951.18 (2s) Any person who violates s. 951.097 (1) (b) 1. or (2) (a), knowing that
20the dog animal that is the victim is a service dog animal, is guilty of a Class B
21misdemeanor. Any person who violates s. 951.097 (1) (b) 2., (2) (b), or (3) (a), knowing
22that the dog animal that is the victim is a service dog animal, is guilty of a Class A
23misdemeanor. Any person who violates s. 951.097 (3) (b) or (4) (a), knowing that the
24dog animal that is the victim is a service dog animal, is guilty of a Class I felony. Any

1person who violates s. 951.097 (4) (b) or (5), knowing that the dog animal that is the
2victim is a service dog animal, is guilty of a Class H felony.
AB287, s. 6 3Section 6. 951.18 (4) (a) 1. d. of the statutes is amended to read:
AB287,5,94 951.18 (4) (a) 1. d. In a case under s. 951.095 or 951.097, the value of a
5replacement animal, if the affected animal is incapacitated or dead; the cost of
6training a replacement animal; or the cost of retraining the affected animal. The
7court shall base any determination of the value of a replacement service dog animal
8on the value of the service dog animal to the user and not on its cost or fair market
9value.
AB287, s. 7 10Section 7. Initial applicability.
AB287,5,1211 (1) This act first applies to acts or omissions that occur on the effective date of
12this subsection.
AB287,5,1313 (End)
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