2015-16 LEGISLATIVE SURVEY

DNR AND DATCP BOARD

REP RIPP PASSES IMPLEMENTS OF HUSBANDRY TRAILER BILL AND LEGISLATION FOR ONLINE DRIVERS EDUCATION

Madison- The Wisconsin State Assembly passed two bills Tuesday authored by Representative Keith Ripp (R-Lodi) aimed at keeping farm machinery legally on the roadways and allowing online driver’s education in private schools licensed through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

 

Last year, the Legislature passed a comprehensive Implements of Husbandry (IoH) package, now 2013 Act 377, to address issues related to increasingly large and heavy farm equipment operating on roadways in Wisconsin.

 

Since enactment, Ripp has continued to work with stakeholders in the agricultural industry, local governments, and the Department of Transportation to ensure the continued success of agriculture, while still achieving balance between the need for increased weight and capacity and the need to maintain public safety and manage impacts on infrastructure. AB 113 is a clean-up package of non-controversial but necessary changes to current law that address unforeseen issues in implementation. 

 

“Last year’s legislation was successful in legally allowing overweight and over-length implements and Ag-CMVs to operate on the road, as well as in facilitating a dialogue between farmers and their local governments. However, we knew we would need to revisit the process again this session once the permitting system entered its first year of implementation,” Ripp said. “AB 113 makes seemingly small but important changes that will help farmers and local governments continue to work together as we work toward planting season in the coming weeks.”

 

“Rep. Keith Ripp and Sen. Jerry Petrowski have once again led the way in forging together an Implements of Husbandry bill that helps give farmers the ability to legally operate overweight and over length farm machinery on Wisconsin roadways and the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation is very appreciative of their efforts," said Farm Bureau President Jim Holte. “Farm Bureau thanks the authors for their leadership and their commitment to finding a solution that works best for both farmers and local governments.”

 

The second bill, AB 74, would allow any private driver's education school licensed by WisDOT to provide online training instruction instead of, or in addition to, providing it in a classroom. This bill creates parity between the private and public sectors, the latter of which already has the ability to offer online training instruction for driver's education. It will also make driver's education more readily available to students in rural areas, as well as those who are home-schooled.

 

“This is a common sense change to current law that will help our state keep up with technology and expand our ability to provide education to students of all kinds,” Ripp said. “Online driver’s education also provides a great opportunity for parents to get involved in what their children are learning every day. It can serve as a great refresher and a barometer for whether their child has learned what they need to know before practicing on the road.”

 

The Wisconsin Assembly approved these measures with broad bipartisan support. They now go to the Senate for approval.