SB 239 — Relating to: prohibiting hotels, inns, and motels from discriminating against dog handlers who are accompanied by search and rescue dogs.

- 2026 LEGISLATURE LRBa0442/1LRB-2883/1 MIM:emwMIM:cdc SENATE AMENDMENT 1, TO SENATE BILL 239 OctoberMay 1,9, 2025 - OfferedIntroduced by SenaAMES.Senators J AMES and W ANGGAARD , cosponsored by Representatives G REEN, ANDRACA , MURSAU , O'CONNOR and PIWOWARCZYK .

AtReferred theto locationsCommittee indicated,on amendJudiciary theand billPublic asSafety. follows:

1.A N A CT to create 106.52 (1) (ce), 106.52 (1) (fe) and 106.52 (3) (as) of the statutes;

Pagerelating 1,to: line 2:

deleteprohibiting Xandhotels, motelsYinns, and substitutemotels Xmotels,from anddiscriminating touristagainst roomingdog housesY.handlers who are accompanied by search and rescue dogs.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau This bill prohibits hotels, inns, and motels from discriminating against dog handlers who are accompanied by search and rescue dogs in the provision of accommodations.

Under current law, a public place of accommodation, including a lodging establishment, may not refuse entrance into, or use of, or otherwise deny the full and equal enjoyment of the establishment to a person with a disability or to a service animal trainer because the person is accompanied by a service animal, unless accommodation of the service animal would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of the accommodations, goods, or services provided or would jeopardize the safe operation of the public accommodation.

Also under current law, a public accommodation may not charge a person with a disability or a trainer a higher price than the regular rate, including a deposit or surcharge, for the full and equal enjoyment of the public accommodation because the person is accompanied by a service animal, and a public accommodation is prohibited from communicating, in writing, that entrance into, the use of, or the full and equal enjoyment of the public accommodation will be denied to a person with a disability - 2026 Legislature - 2 - LRB-2883/1 MIM:cdc SENATE BILL 239 SECTION 1 or a trainer because he or she is accompanied by a service animal or that the patronage of such a person is unwelcome, objectionable, or unacceptable because he or she is accompanied by a service animal.

In addition, current law requires a public accommodation to modify its policies, practices, and procedures to allow the full and equal enjoyment of the public accommodation by a person with a disability or a trainer who is accompanied by a service animal and requires those policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that a person with a disability or a trainer who is accompanied by a service animal is not separated from the service animal, that the service animal is allowed to accompany the person with a disability or the trainer to all areas of the public accommodation that are open to the general public, and that the person with a disability or the trainer is not segregated from other patrons of the public accommodation.

This bill provides the same protections for a dog handler who is accompanied by a search and rescue dog that is wearing a harness or cape to identify the dog as a search and rescue dog in a public accommodation that is a hotel, inn, or motel.

The bill also provides that a dog handler who is accompanied by a search and rescue dog in a hotel, inn, or motel is responsible for any damage the dog causes to the establishment.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

106.52 (1) (ce) of the statutes is created to read:

106.52 (1) (ce) “Dog handler” means an individual who is trained to work with a search and rescue dog.

SECTION 2.

106.52 (1) (fe) of the statutes is created to read:

106.52 (1) (fe) “Search and rescue dog” means a dog that is trained or is being trained by a state or nationally recognized search and rescue agency to locate lost or missing individuals and victims of disasters in search and rescue activities.

SECTION 3.

106.52 (3) (as) of the statutes is created to read:

106.52 (3) (as) 1.

In this paragraph, “hotel,” “inn,” and “motel” have the meaning given for “hotel” in s.

97.01 (7).

PageSubject 2,to linesubds. 9:

delete that line and substitute:

X106.52 (3) (as) 1.

In this paragraph:

a.

XHotel,Y Xinn,Y and motelY have theY.

Pageto 2,6., lineno 10:person may do any of the following:

after- that2026 lineLegislature insert:- 3 - LRB-2883/1 MIM:cdc SENATE BILL 239 SECTION 3 a.

Xb.Refuse to allow entrance into, or use of, or otherwise deny the full and equal enjoyment of a hotel, inn, or motel to a dog handler because the dog handler is accompanied by a search and rescue dog.

XTouristb. rooming houseY has the meaning given in s.

97.01Charge (15k).Y.an individual a higher price than the regular rate, including a deposit or surcharge, for the full and equal enjoyment of a hotel, inn, or motel because the individual is a dog handler and is accompanied by a search and rescue dog.

c.

Directly or indirectly publish, circulate, display, or mail any written communication that the communicator knows is to the effect that entrance into, or use of, or the full and equal enjoyment of any of the facilities of the hotel, inn, or motel will be denied to an individual because the individual is a dog handler accompanied by a search and rescue dog or that the patronage of such an individual is unwelcome, objectionable, or unacceptable because the individual is accompanied by a search and rescue dog.

3.

The prohibitions specified in subd.

2.

apply only if the dog accompanying the dog handler is wearing a harness or cape that indicates that the dog is a search and rescue dog and the search and rescue dog is leashed.