Current law prohibits a person from possessing a firearm if he or she is a felony
offender. A person is a felony offender if any of the following applies: 1) he or she
has been found guilty of a felony; 2) he or she has been adjudicated delinquent as a
juvenile for an act that would have been a felony if it had been committed by an adult;
or 3) he or she has been found not guilty of a felony by reason of mental disease,
defect, or illness. If a felony offender violates the prohibition against possessing a
firearm, he or she may be fined not more than $25,000 or imprisoned for not more
than ten years, or both.
This bill prohibits, for a specified period, certain felony offenders from
possessing, controlling, or residing with a vicious dog, as determined by a humane
officer or a law enforcement officer using criteria specified in the bill. The prohibition
applies to persons whose status as felony offenders is based on the commission of an
act that is classified under the bill as a serious felony (serious felony offenders). A
serious felony offender who violates the prohibition may be fined up to $10,000 or
imprisoned for up to nine months, or both. If a serious felony offender violates the
prohibition and a person or an animal suffers great bodily harm or death due to the
violation, the serious felony offender may be fined up to $10,000 or imprisoned for
up to three years and six months, or both. If a serious felony offender violates the

prohibition and a person suffers great bodily harm or death due to the violation and
the serious felony offender knowingly allowed the dog to run loose or failed to take
steps to control the dog, the serious felony offender may be fined up to $10,000 or
imprisoned for up to six years, or both.
Unless the serious felony offender is on extended supervision or another
supervised status (extended supervision), the prohibition applies to the serious
felony offender for a period of ten years following: 1) any period of incarceration for
the serious felony; 2) the conviction for the serious felony if the sentence does not
include a period of incarceration; 3) the delinquency adjudication for the serious
felony; or 4) the finding of not guilty of the serious felony by reason of insanity or
mental disease, defect, or illness. If the serious felony offender is on extended
supervision, the prohibition period applies until he or she is no longer on extended
supervision.
Under this bill, a serious felony offender may request an exemption from the
prohibition if the exemption is reasonably needed to earn a livelihood or as a
condition of employment and will not endanger public safety. A serious felony
offender seeking an exemption must file a motion in the circuit court for the county
in which he or she will possess, control, or reside with the vicious dog. The serious
felony offender must provide a copy of the motion to the district attorney for that
county, who must in turn make a reasonable attempt to contact local law enforcement
agencies to inform them of the request and to solicit any information that may be
relevant to whether the request should be granted.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB127,1 1Section 1. 173.29 of the statutes is created to read:
AB127,2,5 2173.29 Vicious dogs. (1) Definition. In this section, "serious physical injury"
3means physical injury that creates a substantial risk of death; that causes serious
4disfigurement, protracted impairment of health, or impairment of a bodily organ; or
5that necessitates plastic surgery.
AB127,3,4 6(2) Determination. If a humane officer or law enforcement officer, after
7conducting an investigation, determines that a dog satisfies one of the standards
8under sub. (3), the humane officer or law enforcement officer may issue a written
9order to the owner or custodian of the dog declaring the dog to be vicious for purposes

1of s. 941.293. In the written order, the humane officer or law enforcement officer shall
2notify the owner or custodian of the dog of the incidents that are the basis for the
3investigation. The written order shall include a description of s. 941.293 and of the
4right to a hearing under ch. 68.
AB127,3,6 5(3) Standards. The humane officer or law enforcement officer may determine
6that a dog is vicious if one of the following applies:
AB127,3,87 (a) The dog, without justification, attacked a person and caused serious
8physical injury or death.
AB127,3,109 (b) The dog has done any of the following on at least 2 occasions, without
10justification:
AB127,3,1111 1. Bitten a person without causing serious physical injury or death.
AB127,3,1312 2. Behaved in a manner that a reasonable person would believe posed a
13significant, imminent threat of serious physical injury or death to a person.
AB127,3,15 14(4) Justification. The humane officer or law enforcement officer may not
15determine that a dog's actions are without justification if any of the following applies:
AB127,3,1816 (a) A person threatened, bitten, or attacked by the dog was committing a crime
17against the owner or custodian of the dog or was committing a willful trespass or
18other tort upon property owned or occupied by the owner or custodian of the dog.
AB127,3,2119 (b) A person threatened, bitten, or attacked by the dog was abusing, assaulting,
20or physically threatening the dog or its offspring or had previously abused,
21assaulted, or physically threatened the dog or its offspring.
AB127,3,2422 (c) The dog was responding to pain or injury or was protecting itself, its
23offspring, another dog living on the same property, its owner or custodian, or a person
24living in the household of its owner or custodian.
AB127,2 25Section 2. 938.3416 of the statutes is created to read:
AB127,4,5
1938.3416 Delinquency adjudication; restriction on possessing certain
2dogs.
Whenever a court adjudicates a juvenile delinquent for an act that if
3committed by an adult in this state would be a serious felony, as defined in s. 941.293
4(1) (b), the court shall inform the juvenile of the requirements and penalties under
5s. 941.293.
AB127,3 6Section 3. 941.293 of the statutes is created to read:
AB127,4,7 7941.293 Possession of certain dogs. (1) Definitions. In this section:
AB127,4,98 (a) "Confinement term" means a period during which a person is incarcerated
9in prison.
AB127,4,1310 (b) "Serious felony" means a felony under s. 940.01, 940.02, 940.03, 940.05,
11940.19 (2), (4), or (5), 940.225 (1) or (2), 940.31, 943.02, 943.10 (2), 943.23 (1g), 943.32
12(2), 946.43 (1m), 948.02 (1) or (2), 948.025, 948.03 (2) (a) or (c) or (3) (a), 948.05,
13948.08, or 948.30 (2) or a felony violation of ch. 961.
AB127,4,1414 (c) "Vicious dog" means a dog that is determined to be vicious under s. 173.29.
AB127,4,16 15(2) Applicability. A person is subject to the requirements and penalties of this
16section if any of the following applies:
AB127,4,1817 (a) 1. He or she has been convicted of a serious felony in this state and was
18serving a confinement term for that conviction within the preceding 10 years.
AB127,4,2119 2. He or she has been convicted of a crime elsewhere that would be a serious
20felony if committed in this state and was serving a confinement term for that
21conviction within the preceding 10 years.
AB127,4,2322 (b) 1. He or she has been convicted of a serious felony in this state within the
23preceding 10 years.
AB127,4,2524 2. Within the preceding 10 years, he or she has been convicted of a crime
25elsewhere that would be a serious felony if committed in this state.
AB127,5,3
1(c) 1. He or she is on extended supervision as part of a sentence following a
2conviction for a serious felony or is on parole or probation following a conviction for
3a serious felony.
AB127,5,54 2. He or she is on a supervised status following a conviction for a crime
5elsewhere that would be a serious felony if committed in this state.
AB127,5,76 (d) He or she has been adjudicated delinquent within the preceding 10 years
7for an act that if committed by an adult in this state would be a serious felony.
AB127,5,108 (e) He or she has been found not guilty within the preceding 10 years of a
9serious felony, or of a crime elsewhere that would be a serious felony if committed in
10this state, by reason of insanity or mental disease, defect, or illness.
AB127,5,12 11(3) Prohibition. A person specified in sub. (2) may not possess, control, or
12reside with a vicious dog.
AB127,5,14 13(4) Penalties. (a) Except as provided in pars. (b) and (c), whoever violates sub.
14(3) is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
AB127,5,1615 (b) Whoever violates sub. (3) is guilty of a Class I felony if an individual or an
16animal suffers great bodily harm or death as a result of the violation.
AB127,5,2017 (c) Whoever violates sub. (3) is guilty of a Class H felony if an individual suffers
18great bodily harm or death as a result of the violation and the actor knowingly
19allowed the dog to run loose or failed to take steps to keep the dog in an enclosure or
20under control.
AB127,5,22 21(5) Applicability. (a) This section does not apply to any person specified in sub.
22(2) who has received a pardon with respect to the serious felony.
AB127,5,2323 (b) Subsection (3) does not apply to a person if any of the following applies:
AB127,5,2524 1. Not more than 5 days have elapsed since the person received a written order
25under s. 173.29 declaring the dog vicious.
AB127,6,1
12. A hearing is pending under ch. 68.
AB127,6,5 2(6) Request for exemption. (a) A person specified in sub. (2) may request an
3exemption from the prohibition under sub. (3) by filing a written motion in the circuit
4court for the county in which the person will possess, control, or reside with the
5vicious dog.
AB127,6,126 (b) A person who files a motion under par. (a) shall send a copy of the motion
7to the district attorney for the county in which the motion is filed. The district
8attorney shall make a reasonable attempt to contact the county sheriff and, if
9applicable, the chief of police of a city, village, or town in the county for the purpose
10of informing the sheriff and the chief of police that the person has made a request for
11an exemption and to solicit from the sheriff and chief of police any information that
12may be relevant to the criteria specified in par. (c) 1. and 2.
AB127,6,1313 (c) A court shall grant a request under par. (a) if all of the following apply:
AB127,6,1514 1. The person has a reasonable need to possess, control, or reside with a vicious
15dog to earn a livelihood or as a condition of employment.
AB127,6,1716 2. Exempting the person from the prohibition under sub. (3) will not endanger
17public safety.
AB127,6,25 18(7) Surrender of vicious dog. A court that sentences a person who is convicted
19of violating sub. (3) may order that the vicious dog that is involved in the violation
20be delivered to the local humane officer or society, to the county or municipal pound,
21or to a law enforcement officer if the court considers the order to be reasonable and
22appropriate. The society, pound, or officer shall release the vicious dog to a person
23other than the person convicted of violating sub. (3) or dispose of the vicious dog in
24a proper and humane manner. The release or disposal shall be in accordance with
25s. 173.23 (1m).
AB127,4
1Section 4. 971.17 (1i) of the statutes is created to read:
AB127,7,52 971.17 (1i) Notice of restrictions on possession of a dog. If the defendant
3under sub. (1) is found not guilty of a serious felony, as defined in s. 941.293 (1) (b),
4by reason of mental disease or defect, the court shall inform the defendant of the
5requirements and penalties under s. 941.293.
AB127,5 6Section 5. 973.0336 of the statutes is created to read:
AB127,7,10 7973.0336 Sentencing; restriction on possession of a dog. Whenever a
8court imposes a sentence or places a defendant on probation for a conviction for a
9serious felony, as defined in s. 941.293 (1) (b), the court shall inform the defendant
10of the requirements and penalties under s. 941.293.
AB127,6 11Section 6. Initial applicability.
AB127,7,1212 (1) Possession of a dog.
AB127,7,1413 (a) In this subsection, "serious felony" has th meaning given in section 941.293
14(1) (b) of the statutes, as created by this act.
AB127,7,1915 (b) The treatment of section 941.293 of the statutes first applies to the
16possession of a dog that occurs on the effective date of this paragraph, but does not
17preclude the counting of an act that was committed before the effective date of this
18paragraph for purposes of determining whether any of the following makes a person
19subject to section 941.293 of the statutes, as created by this act:
AB127,7,20 201. The person has been convicted of a serious felony in this state.
AB127,7,22 212. The person has been convicted of a crime elsewhere that would be a serious
22felony if committed in this state.
AB127,7,24 233. The person has been adjudicated delinquent for an act that if committed by
24an adult in this state would be a serious felony.
AB127,8,2
14. The person has been found not guilty of a serious felony in this state by
2reason of mental disease or defect.
AB127,8,5 35. The person has been found not guilty of or not responsible for a crime
4elsewhere by reason of insanity or mental disease, defect, or illness if the crime would
5be a serious felony in this state.
AB127,8,86 (2) Information at dispositional hearings. The treatment of section 938.3416
7of the statutes first applies to dispositional hearings that occur on the effective date
8of this subsection.
AB127,8,119 (3) Information at commitment hearings. The treatment of section 971.17 (1i)
10of the statutes first applies to commitment hearings that occur on the effective date
11of this subsection.
AB127,8,1412 (4) Information at sentencing. The treatment of section 973.0336 of the
13statutes first applies to sentencing proceedings that occur on the effective date of this
14subsection.
AB127,8,1515 (End)
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