LRB-1530/1
ZDW:skw
2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
February 3, 2023 - Introduced by Senators James,
Cowles, Felzkowski, Marklein
and Taylor, cosponsored by Representatives Mursau, Edming, Andraca,
Behnke, Donovan, Kitchens, Knodl, Magnafici, Maxey, Ohnstad, Rozar,
Sinicki, Spiros, Subeck and Tusler. Referred to Committee on Financial
Institutions and Sporting Heritage.
SB34,1,2
1An Act to amend 29.197 (3) of the statutes;
relating to: modifying the
2designation of a free fishing weekend in January.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill requires the Department of Natural Resources to designate the full
weekend prior to the third Monday in January as a weekend on which DNR waives
license and fee requirements to fish.
Under current law, DNR issues approvals that authorize the hunting, fishing,
or trapping of specified wild animals. With limited exceptions, no person may fish
in the waters of the state without the applicable approvals issued by DNR. However,
DNR is required to designate two weekends per year during which DNR waives the
fishing approval requirement. Current law requires that one of these weekends be
the third full weekend in January.
The bill modifies this requirement to instead require DNR to waive the fishing
approval requirements during the full weekend prior to the third Monday in
January, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SB34,1
3Section
1. 29.197 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB34,2,54
29.197
(3) Weekend events. In addition to any special event or program
5sponsored under sub. (2), the department shall, by rule, designate 2 special event
1weekends per year during which it shall waive the requirement that persons be
2issued fishing licenses and pay the applicable fees in order to fish in the waters of this
3state. The department shall designate the
3rd full weekend
prior to the 3rd Monday 4in January as one of the special event weekends. The department shall, by rule,
5designate to which inland or outlying waters these waivers shall apply.
