Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill makes the laws regulating the intoxicated operation of different recreational vehicles more consistent.

Under current law, a person may not operate a snowmobile, an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), a utility terrain vehicle (UTV), an off-highway motorcycle (OHM), or a motorboat while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance to a degree that he or she cannot operate the vehicle or boat safely. Under current law, a personal watercraft is included in the definition of “motorboat." Current law also prohibits the operation of an ATV, a UTV, an OHM, a recreational motorboat, or a snowmobile by a person who has an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more. For motorboats being operated on a commercial basis, the maximum alcohol concentration is 0.04. These laws are respectively referred to under current law as the intoxicated operation of an ATV or UTV law, the intoxicated operation of an OHM law, the intoxicated boating law, and the intoxicated snowmobiling law. Under current law, a person who refuses to submit to a legal request for a breath, blood, or urine sample pursuant to an arrest for operating a snowmobile, an ATV, a UTV, an OHM, or a recreational motorboat while under the influence is in violation of what is known as the refusal law.

Under current law, in imposing a penalty for a violation of the intoxicated operation of an ATV or UTV, the intoxicated operation of an OHM, the intoxicated boating, or the intoxicated snowmobiling law, a court may only count a previous conviction of the same law, or the applicable refusal law. For example, if a person is before the court for violating the intoxicated snowmobiling law or the snowmobile refusal law, the court may count only previous convictions of the intoxicated snowmobiling law and the snowmobile refusal law as prior convictions. Previous convictions of the intoxicated operation of an ATV or UTV law or of the intoxicated boating law or of the applicable refusal laws may not be counted. Under this bill, a court must count previous convictions of any of these intoxicated operation or refusal laws that occurred within the previous five years when imposing a penalty for a violation of any of these laws.

The bill makes the provisions of the intoxicated operation of an ATV or UTV, the intoxicated operation of an OHM, the intoxicated boating, and the intoxicated snowmobiling laws more consistent. These changes include all of the following:

1. Adopting the higher penalties for various violations where the penalties for violations of the intoxicated operation of an ATV or UTV law, the intoxicated operation of an OHM law, the intoxicated boating law, the intoxicated snowmobiling law, and the refusal law conflict.

2. Imposing increased penalties for violating the intoxicated operation of an OHM law, the intoxicated boating law, or the intoxicated snowmobiling law or related refusal law if the OHM, motorboat, or snowmobile is operated with a passenger under 16 years of age. The increased penalty already exists for a violation of the intoxicated operation of an ATV or UTV law and the ATV or UTV refusal law.

3. Repealing the provisions that imposed increased penalties for operating an ATV or UTV with an alcohol concentration level that is 0.17 or more. Under current law, these increased penalties are not imposed for violations of the intoxicated boating or the intoxicated snowmobiling laws.

4. Applying the first-offense penalties for violating the intoxicated operation of an ATV or UTV law, the intoxicated operation of an OHM law, and the intoxicated snowmobiling law to violations of local ordinances that conform with those laws. This matches current law for a first-offense violation of the intoxicated boating law.

5. Increasing from 19 to 21 the age under which absolute sobriety is required for the purpose of operating a snowmobile, to match the requirement for all other recreational vehicles under current law.

The bill eliminates the impositions of fines and mandatory terms of confinement in the county jail for a person who is found guilty of a violation of a refusal law who has, within the previous five years, been convicted of violating the intoxicated operation of an ATV or UTV, the intoxicated operation of an OHM, the intoxicated boating, or the intoxicated snowmobiling law one or more times. Under the bill, the penalty for violating a refusal law is a forfeiture of at least $400 but not more than $550 regardless of the number of prior violations. In addition, under the bill, this penalty applies to violators of any age, eliminating a $50 forfeiture for violating a refusal law that applies only to persons under the age of 21 under current law.

The bill provides that when counting the number of convictions within the previous five years, the previous convictions for intoxicated operation of that same type of recreational vehicle or the related refusal law that occurred before the effective date of this bill are counted, but previous convictions for the other three types of recreational vehicles that occurred before the effective date of this bill are not counted.

The bill also requires a court to enter an order to suspend the person's privilege to operate a snowmobile, an ATV, a UTV, an OHM, and a motorboat for a period of not less than 12 months and not more that 16 months if the court imposes a penalty for a violation of the intoxicated operation of an ATV or UTV, the intoxicated operation of an OHM, the intoxicated boating, or the intoxicated snowmobiling law or the related refusal law. The bill allows the court, as part of the order, to authorize the person to operate an ATV, UTV, OHM, or snowmobile exclusively on private land and not on highways if the court finds that such operation is essential for the purpose of engaging in an occupation or trade. The bill also provides a forfeiture and additional six-month period of operating privilege suspension for violating the order of suspension.

Under the bill, if the person is found guilty of a violation of the intoxicated operation of an ATV or UTV, the intoxicated operation of an OHM, the intoxicated boating, or the intoxicated snowmobiling law or the related refusal law and has, within the previous five years, been convicted of violating one of these laws, the court is required to revoke the person's privilege to operate a motor vehicle for not less than six months and not more than 12 months. Also under the bill, the person may be eligible for an occupational driver's license at any time during the revocation period. The bill requires the person whose operating privilege was revoked to pay a $140 reinstatement fee.

Under the bill, if a person has had his or her privilege to operate a motor vehicle suspended or revoked for a violation of a prohibition against operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, the person may not operate a snowmobile, an ATV, a UTV, an OHM, or a motorboat during the period of that motor vehicle operating privilege suspension or revocation. The bill also provides a forfeiture and an additional six-month period of operating privilege suspension for violating the order of suspension.

Under current law, the sentences of persons who are convicted of certain second, third, or fourth offenses involving the operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant may be reduced if the violator successfully completes a period of probation that includes alcohol and other drug treatment. A person may complete a treatment program and receive a reduced period of imprisonment only once. This bill allows this option to be used for persons convicted of a violation of the intoxicated operation of an ATV or UTV, the intoxicated operation of an OHM, the intoxicated boating, or the intoxicated snowmobiling law or the applicable refusal law.

Because this bill proposes to revoke a person's operating privilege upon conviction for an offense, the Department of Transportation, as required by law, will prepare a report to be printed as an appendix to this bill.

Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report.

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:

SB301,1 Section 1 . 23.33 (1) (ib) of the statutes is created to read:

SB301,5,6 23.33 (1) (ib) “Intoxicated operating law" means the intoxicated operation of an all-terrain or utility terrain vehicle law, the intoxicated operation of an off-highway motorcycle law, as defined in s. 23.335 (1) (L), the intoxicated boating law, as defined in s. 30.50 (4m), or the intoxicated snowmobiling law, as defined in s. 350.01 (9c).

SB301,2 Section 2 . 23.33 (1) (ih) of the statutes is created to read:

SB301,5,8 23.33 (1) (ih) “Legal drinking age" means 21 years of age.

SB301,3 Section 3 . 23.33 (1) (jh) of the statutes is created to read:

SB301,5,13 23.33 (1) (jh) “Recreational vehicle" means an all-terrain vehicle, a utility terrain vehicle, an off-highway motorcycle, as defined in s. 23.335 (1) (q), a recreational motorboat, as defined in s. 30.50 (9m), or a snowmobile, as defined in s. 340.01 (58a).

SB301,4 Section 4 . 23.33 (1) (jk) of the statutes is created to read: