LRB-4112/5

EVM:emw

2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE

2021 Senate BILL 888

January 21, 2022 - Introduced by Senators Petrowski, Erpenbach, Cowles, Marklein, Ringhand, Smith and Wanggaard, cosponsored by Representatives Spiros, Armstrong, Considine, Duchow, Edming, Gundrum, Pope, Wichgers and Wittke. Referred to Committee on Transportation and Local Government.

SB888,1,8 An Act to amend 341.27 (title), 341.27 (1), 341.27 (3) (intro.), 341.27 (3) (a), 341.27 (3) (b), 341.28 (title), 341.28 (1), 341.28 (2) (intro.), 341.28 (2) (a), 341.28 (2) (b), 341.28 (3), 341.28 (4) (intro.), 341.28 (4) (a), 341.28 (4) (b), 341.28 (4) (c), 341.28 (5), 341.28 (6), 341.28 (7) (intro.), 341.28 (7) (a), 341.28 (7) (b), 341.29 (title), 341.29 (1), 341.295 (title), 341.31 (title), 341.31 (1) (b) 6. and 342.15 (4) (a); and to create 341.27 (2), 341.27 (3) (c) and 341.35 (1m) of the statutes; relating to: registration periods for certain motor vehicles and reuse of registration plates.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, most automobiles and motor trucks having a registered weight of 8,000 pounds or less (light trucks) are registered by the Department of Transportation for a period of one year. The registration ends after the passing of a calendar year. Under this bill, most automobiles and light trucks are registered by DOT under the monthly series system of registration. In the monthly series system, there are 12 registration periods, each designated by a calendar month and beginning on the first day of the month and ending on the last day of the 12th month beginning after commencement. The registration, in general, begins on the date of registration and ends on the final day of the 12th month beginning after commencement.

Current law allows a county, town, village, or city to enact an ordinance to collect an annual registration fee for automobiles or light trucks that are customarily kept in the county, town, village, or city. Under the bill, the registration period for any county, town, village, or city motor vehicle registration must be synchronous with the DOT's registration period for that vehicle.

Also under current law, if a person transfers a motor truck, dual purpose motor home, or dual purpose farm truck with a gross weight of not more than 8,000 pounds, the owner may keep and use the vehicle's registration plates on another vehicle of the same type and gross weight. Under the bill, such plates may be used on another vehicle of the same type with a gross weight of less than 8,000 pounds, whether or not the gross weight is the same as the previous vehicle.

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:

SB888,1 Section 1. 341.27 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB888,2,3 341.27 (title) Registration periods for private automobiles, certain motor trucks, and taxicabs.

SB888,2 Section 2. 341.27 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB888,2,9 341.27 (1) All automobiles and motor trucks having a registered weight of 8,000 pounds or less, other than those that may be registered under s. 341.26 (2), 341.265, 341.266, 341.268, or 341.269 or are required by s. 341.29 to be registered on a calendar-year basis, shall be registered by the department according to the monthly series system of registration prescribed by this section.

SB888,3 Section 3. 341.27 (2) of the statutes is created to read:

SB888,3,2 341.27 (2) There are established 12 registration periods, each to be designated by a calendar month and, except as provided in sub. (3) (c) and s. 341.28 (7) (a), to start on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the 12th month beginning after the date of commencing. The department shall administer the monthly series system of registration to distribute the work of registering automobiles and motor trucks having a registered weight of 8,000 pounds or less as uniformly as practicable throughout the calendar year.