Electronic renewal of operator's licenses
Under current law, most operator's licenses issued by DOT must be renewed
every eight years. In general, an applicant for renewal of an operator's license must
pass an eyesight test and have his or her photograph taken.
Under the bill, if an applicant for renewal of an operator's license, other than
a commercial driver license, meets certain requirements, the applicant may apply for
renewal, and DOT may renew the license, by electronic means. The renewal may
occur without an eyesight test and without a photograph. Licenses issued under this
procedure will be marked as REAL-ID noncompliant licenses that are not intended
to be accepted by federal agencies for federal identification or other official purposes.
Among the eligibility requirements for use of the electronic procedure are 1) that the
applicant's most recent previous license transaction was not made by electronic
means; 2) that the applicant's license is not subject to restrictions based on medical
conditions, other than a requirement that the applicant use corrective lenses; 3) that
the applicant is not more than 65 years of age; and 4) that the applicant meets any
additional criteria for eligibility established by DOT.
Driving skills test waiver
Under current law, with limited exceptions, an applicant for an operator's
license authorizing operation of “Class D" vehicles, which are automobiles and most
passenger vehicles, must successfully complete a knowledge test and a driving skills
(road) test. The bill allows DOT to waive the road test for a person if all of the
following are satisfied:
1. The person is under 18 years of age.
2. The person is applying for authorization to operate only “Class D" vehicles.
3. The person has satisfactorily completed a course in driver education.
4. The person has held an instruction permit for not less than six months.
5. The person has not committed a moving violation during the six-month
period immediately preceding application.
6. An adult sponsor of the person consents to a waiver of the driving skills test.
Operator license suspension and arrest for nonmoving violations
Under current law, if a person does not pay the forfeiture or appear in court in
response to a citation for a nonmoving violation (commonly known as a parking
ticket), the court may issue a summons for the person, order DOT to suspend the
person's vehicle registration, or issue a warrant for the person's arrest. If a person
fails to pay the forfeiture for a moving or nonmoving violation, the court may order
the person to be imprisoned until the judgment is paid, but for a time period not to
exceed 90 days. In lieu of imprisonment, the court may order that the person's
operating privilege be suspended.
The bill eliminates the option to arrest a person and suspend the person's motor
vehicle operator license for failure to pay the required forfeiture for a nonmoving
violation.
Replacement of motor vehicle registration plates
Under current law, DOT must establish new designs for plates at intervals
determined by DOT. Subsequently, DOT must issue plates with the new design at
a time determined by DOT. Plates may also be replaced upon application of a vehicle
owner in the case of lost, destroyed, or illegible plates.
Under the bill, beginning with registrations effective July 1, 2021, if the
registration for a vehicle is renewed and plates for that vehicle have not been issued
during the previous 10 years, DOT must issue two new registration plates for the
vehicle. The bill requires DOT to assess a $6.25 fee for the replacement plates.
Disclosure of records relating to identification card holders
Under current law, with certain exceptions, DOT is prohibited from disclosing
records or other information relating to applicants for, or holders of, identification
cards. The bill eliminates this prohibition.
Exemption from probationary license requirement for persons enlisted in
the U.S. armed forces
Under current law, probationary licenses are, with certain exceptions, issued
to all applicants who qualify for an original driver's license and remain in effect for
two years from the date of the licensee's next birthday. Currently, the following
persons are exempt from this requirement:
1. Certain persons who have been licensed by another jurisdiction.
2. Persons who are issued a commercial driver license.
3. Persons entitled to a regular license under a foreign license reciprocity
agreement.
Those who are exempt from the probationary license requirement are instead
issued a regular license that remains in effect for eight years after the date of
issuance.
Under the bill, a person who provides DOT with documentary proof that the
person is enlisted in the U.S. armed forces is also exempt from the probationary
license requirement.
Fee for paper registration renewal notice
Under current law, a person may not operate a vehicle on any highway unless
the vehicle is registered with DOT. At least 30 days prior to the expiration of a
vehicle's registration, DOT must mail to the registrant a notice of the date upon
which the vehicle's registration must be renewed. DOT is also authorized to test and
evaluate the effectiveness of alternative methods of processing and distributing
vehicle registration renewals. Under the bill, for a vehicle registration renewal
notice that DOT sends by mail, DOT must charge the recipient a fee of $0.33 and
deposit all such fees in the transportation fund.
Highways
Enumeration of the I 94 east-west corridor project
Under current law, DOT may not encumber or expend any moneys for
construction of a southeast Wisconsin freeway megaproject unless the project is
enumerated by the legislature. The bill enumerates as a southeast Wisconsin
freeway megaproject the “I 94 east-west corridor project,” which is defined to mean
“all freeways, including related interchange ramps, roadways, and shoulders,
encompassing I 94 in Milwaukee County from 70th Street to 16th Street, and all
adjacent frontage roads and collector road systems.” The bill authorizes DOT to
contract up to $40,000,000 in public debt for the project.
Establishment of bikeways and pedestrian ways in highway projects
Under current law, DOT must, with exceptions, give due consideration to
establishing bikeways and pedestrian ways in all new highway construction and
reconstruction projects funded from state or federal funds.
Under the bill, with several exceptions, DOT must ensure that bikeways and
pedestrian ways are established in all new highway construction and reconstruction
projects funded from state or federal funds and must promulgate rules identifying
certain exceptions to the requirement.
Transportation revenue bonds
Under current law, the Building Commission may issue revenue bonds for
major highway projects and transportation administrative facilities in a principal
amount that may not exceed $4,055,372,900. The bill increases the revenue bond
limit to $4,359,650,700, an increase of $304,277,800.
Also, under a separate authorization, the Building Commission may issue
revenue bonds for major highway projects and transportation administrative
facilities in a principal amount that may not exceed $142,254,600. The bill
eliminates this separate authorization.
State highway rehabilitation bonding
Under current law, state highway rehabilitation projects may be funded from
various sources, including bond proceeds. Various provisions of current law
authorize specific maximum levels of general obligation bonding for these projects
and the total authorized amount of general obligation bonding available for these
projects is the cumulative amount specified in all of these provisions. Under one of
these provisions of current law, the state may contract up to $141,000,000 in public
debt to fund state highway rehabilitation projects. The bill increases this authorized
general obligation bonding limit by $278,500,000 to $419,500,000.
Design-build project bonding
Under current law, the design and construction of highway projects are
generally two distinct phases. Under this method, often referred to as
“design-bid-build,” DOT has broad authority to accomplish the design of a project.
The construction of a project must be executed by contract based on bids, with DOT
awarding the contract to the lowest responsible bidder. Alternatively, DOT may use
the “design-build” method, under which design, engineering, construction, and
related services are procured through a single contract with a single entity capable
of providing the services.
Under current law, state highway rehabilitation projects, major highway
projects, and southeast Wisconsin freeway megaprojects may be funded from various
sources, including bond proceeds. The bill provides that the state may contract up
to $20,000,000 in public debt to fund state highway rehabilitation projects, major
highway projects, and southeast Wisconsin freeway megaprojects that are delivered
using the design-build method.
Transportation project requirements
Under current law, for certain highway projects for which DOT spends federal
money, federal money must make up at least 70 percent of the funding for those
projects. DOT is required to notify political subdivisions receiving aid for local
projects whether the aid includes federal moneys and how those moneys must be
spent. For certain projects that receive no federal money, DOT may not require
political subdivisions to comply with any portion of DOT's facilities development
manual other than design standards. Any local project funded with state funds
under the surface transportation program or the local bridge program must be let
through competitive bidding and by contract to the lowest responsible bidder. The
bill repeals all of these requirements.
Specific information signs
The bill makes numerous changes to the specific information sign program
administered by DOT, under which DOT erects and maintains signs to direct
motorists to services located near certain highways.
Under current law, DOT may not authorize the erection of specific information
signs along a highway unless the highway is enumerated by the legislature. The bill
makes numerous changes to existing enumerations to reflect highway construction
and designation changes. The bill also enumerates two new highway segments.
Under current law, the annual permit fee for inclusion on a specific information
sign is $40. The bill increases the fee to $80. Current law specifies the design of
specific information signs and provides that signs may be illuminated. The bill
eliminates the reference to sign illumination.
Under current law, to be included on a specific information sign for the “FOOD”
category, a business must operate at least five days a week and be open, at a
minimum, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The bill eliminates the hours-of-service
requirement.
Current law provides that no more than four specific information signs for each
category of motorist service may be erected along an approach to an interchange or
intersection. The bill removes the specific limit on the number of allowable signs and
instead provides that the number may not exceed the number allowed under the
federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways
adopted by DOT.
Electric vehicle infrastructure program
The bill establishes an electric vehicle infrastructure program within DOT.
Under the program, DOT provides funding for electric vehicle infrastructure
projects. DOT, in consultation with DOA, determines appropriate locations for such
projects. The bill also authorizes the issuance of $5,000,000 in public debt for the
purpose of funding projects under this program.
Ray Nitschke Memorial Bridge
The bill requires DOT, in the 2021-22 fiscal year, to set aside $1,200,000 of the
amounts appropriated to DOT for bridge development, construction, and
rehabilitation for repairs to the Ray Nitschke Memorial Bridge in Brown County.
Improvements to the interchange of I 94 and Moorland Road
The bill requires DOT, in the 2021-23 fiscal biennium, to allocate $1,750,000
for the construction of geometric improvements to improve the safety of the
interchange of I 94 and Moorland Road in Waukesha County.
Thresholds for certain contracts requiring gubernatorial approval
Current law requires gubernatorial approval of certain DOT contracts
involving expenditures over specified thresholds. The bill increases these thresholds
as follows:
1. Engagement of engineering or related services, from $3,000 to $100,000.
2. Contracts for highway improvement, from $1,000 to $250,000.
3. Non-bid contracts with counties for highway improvements, from $5,000 to
$100,000.
4. Non-bid contracts with railroads or public utilities for highway
improvements, from $5,000 to $100,000.
5. Emergency non-bid contracts for highway improvements, from $10,000 to
$100,000.
Transportation aids
General transportation aids
The bill increases the amount of aid DOT may provide to counties and
municipalities under the general transportation aids program. Under current law,
DOT makes aid payments to counties based on a share-of-costs formula and to
municipalities based on the greater of a share-of-costs formula or an aid rate per
mile. Under the bill, the aid rate per mile is increased to $2,681 for calendar year
2022 and $2,734 for calendar year 2023 and thereafter. The maximum amount of aid
that may be paid to counties under the program is increased to $124,647,300 for
calendar year 2022 and $127,140,200 for calendar year 2023 and thereafter. The
maximum amount of aid that may be paid to municipalities under the program is
increased to $391,173,300 for calendar year 2022 and $398,996,800 for calendar year
2023 and thereafter.
Penalty for late submission of reports related to general transportation aids
Under the general transportation aids program, counties and municipalities
with a population of 25,000 or more are required to file certain financial reports with
DOR by July 31 each year. If a county or municipality fails to file the necessary
reports by the deadline, but does file the reports within 30 days after the deadline,
the amount of aid payable to that county or municipality for the following year is
reduced by 1 percent for each day late, up to a maximum 10 percent reduction. If a
county or municipality fails to file the necessary reports within 30 days of the
deadline, the amount of aid payable to that county or municipality for the following
year is reduced by 10 percent.
Under the bill, if a county or municipality fails to file the necessary reports by
the specified deadline, but does provide the reports within 30 days after the deadline,
the amount of aid payable to the county or municipality may not be reduced by more
than $100 for each day that the necessary reports are late.
Mass transit aids amounts
Under current law, DOT provides state aid payments to local public bodies in
urban areas served by mass transit systems to assist the local public bodies with the
expenses of operating those systems. There are five classes of mass transit systems,
and the total amount of state aid payments to four of these classes is limited to a
specified amount in each calendar year. The fifth class consists of certain commuter
or light rail systems, and no state aid amounts are specified for this class.
The bill increases the total amount of state aid payments to the four classes of
mass transit systems for which state aid amounts are specified as follows:
1. For mass transit systems having annual operating expenses of $80,000,000
or more, the bill maintains the current limit of $65,477,800 in calendar year 2021 and
increases the limit to $67,114,700 in calendar year 2022 and $68,792,600 in calendar
year 2023 and thereafter.
2. For mass transit systems having annual operating expenses of over
$20,000,000 but less than $80,000,000, the bill maintains the current limit of
$17,205,400 in calendar year 2021 and increases the limit to $17,635,500 in calendar
year 2022 and $18,076,400 in calendar year 2023 and thereafter.
3. For mass transit systems serving urban areas having a population of at least
50,000 but having annual operating expenses of no more than $20,000,000, the bill
maintains the current limit of $24,976,400 in calendar year 2021 and increases the
limit to $25,600,800 in calendar year 2022 and $26,240,800 in calendar year 2023
and thereafter.
4. For mass transit systems serving urban areas having a population of less
than 50,000, the bill maintains the current limit of $5,292,700 in calendar year 2021
and increases the limit to $5,425,000 in calendar year 2022 and $5,560,600 in
calendar year 2023 and thereafter.
Transit capital assistance grants
The bill requires DOT to establish a transit capital assistance grant program,
under which DOT awards grants to eligible applicants for the replacement of public
transit vehicles.
Local infrastructure grant program
The bill establishes a local road aids for critical infrastructure grant program
within the DOT. Under the program, DOT makes grants to political subdivisions for
the reconstruction to a higher standard durability of a culvert or bridge. Bridges and
culverts eligible for grants under the program must be owned by the political
subdivision and must be at risk of being damaged by future extreme storm water
events. Grants under the program may cover up to 50 percent of the cost of the
reconstruction project. The bill also authorizes the issuance of $15,000,000 in public
debt for the purpose of making grants under this program.
Local supplement grant program
The bill creates a local supplement grant program under which DOT provides
discretionary grants to political subdivisions for projects related to bridge
construction or reconstruction or local road improvement or to local governments for
projects related to transportation alternatives, including construction of pedestrian
and bicycle facilities and environmental mitigation of highway construction.
Tribal elderly transportation grants
Current law requires DOA to transfer a portion of Indian gaming receipts to a
DOT appropriation that funds tribal elderly transportation grants. The bill
eliminates the requirement to make this transfer and replaces the DOT
appropriation that funds tribal elderly transportation grants using transferred
Indian gaming receipts with an appropriation from the transportation fund.
Town of Milton project
The bill requires DOT to award a grant of $75,000 to the town of Milton in Rock
County for the Clear Lake Road project.
Rail and air transportation
Freight rail preservation bonding
Under current law, the state may contract up to $280,300,000 in public debt for
DOT to acquire railroad property and to provide grants and loans for railroad
property acquisition and improvement. The bill increases the authorized general
obligation bonding limit for these purposes by $20,000,000 to $300,300,000.
