An Act to amend 1.10 (4); to create 1.10 (3) (w) of the statutes; Relating to: designating the monarch butterfly as the state butterfly.
Summary
AB322 would add a new state symbol to Wisconsin law by designating the monarch butterfly as the official state butterfly. The bill creates a new statutory provision stating that the monarch butterfly is the state butterfly, and it also updates the section of law governing the Wisconsin Blue Book so that this publication must include the new butterfly designation along with the state’s other official symbols.
The measure is largely symbolic and does not create a regulatory program, funding mechanism, or enforcement scheme. Its practical effect is to amend Wisconsin’s state-symbol statutes and ensure the monarch butterfly is listed in the state’s official reference materials. The bill was introduced in the 2025-2026 Legislature and ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1.
Impact
AB322 would amend Wisconsin Statutes section 1.10 by adding subsection (3) (w) to formally recognize the monarch butterfly as the state butterfly and by revising subsection (4) to require the Wisconsin Blue Book to include that designation. The bill affects state symbolic law and official state publications, but it does not directly alter private rights, agency authority, or substantive environmental regulation.
Sentiment
Based on the available record, the bill appears to have been a low-conflict, symbolic proposal with no recorded committee testimony or roll-call votes in the provided materials. The introduction by a bipartisan group of legislators suggests broad, nonpartisan interest in the designation, but the bill ultimately did not advance and failed to pass under Senate Joint Resolution 1.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or vote history. Because the bill concerns an official state symbol rather than a policy or budget issue, any disagreement would likely have centered on whether the legislature should add another symbolic designation or on the relative priority of such measures, but no such objections are recorded here.