March 22, 2024

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Contacts:

NEWS RELEASE:                                                                                                                                                                     Senator Robert Cowles – (608) 266-0484

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                                  Representative John Spiros – (608) 237-9186

Senator Cowles, Representative Spiros

Applaud Signing of Railroad Safety Bill

MADISON – Senator Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay) and Representative John Spiros (R-Marshfield) released the following statement after the Governor signed Senate Bill 460 into law yesterday as 2023 Wisconsin Act 159:

“Reckless driving is a serious problem across Wisconsin, and one the Legislature has been working hard to address,” Senator Cowles stated. “Getting this bill across the finish line is especially personal to me, as my grandfather Enard Lindstrom worked on the Chicago Northwestern Railroad out of Northeast Wisconsin for many, many years. In his memory, Act 159 offers enhanced protections for Wisconsin’s nearly 3,000 rail workers as they operate in designated work zones, helping to keep a vital part of our economy chugging along safely.”

“Supporting the workers who maintain Wisconsin's 3,300 miles of rail lines is common sense, especially as distracted and reckless driving rates continue to rise,” said Rep. Spiros. “I was happy to work with Senator Cowles to ensure that railroad work zones enjoy the same protections that other roadside construction and maintenance zones enjoy.”

Act 159 doubles the fines imposed for traffic violations committed in the vicinity of railroad construction or maintenance crews and zones. Similar protections have long existed for highway work zones, and similar fine increases are also added to areas where emergency services, roadside assistance, and utility work crews are currently operating.

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