The use of military vehicles on Wisconsin roads have come under scrutiny lately, but the hobby is working to ensure their continued use. To support the bills below, be sure to contact your assemblyman after reading the notice below.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The next step of our work to create and establish changes to Wisconsin State Statutes to allow the continued registration and use of Former Military Vehicles in Wisconsin will be a PUBLIC HEARING before the Senate Transportation Committee, next week. The official notification is attached. We just received the notification and it is short notice!

On Wed Jan 20th at 10 AM in the Capitol in Madison – Room 300 Southeast the Senate transportation committee will hear public comments and testimony on 17 different bills. This will be a very long day and we will have to wait our turn to speak to the committee about the HMV hobby and the bill provisions.

The two bills that concern us are:

SB-392 This bill proposes to allow registration of former military vehicles under the existing collector statute. Authored By Senator Erpenbach

SB- 404 This bill proposes to allow HMV registration by creating a special “Historic Military Vehicle” category and license plate. By Representative Zigmunt.

Working on behalf of each of you, we originally proposed an expansion of the existing Collector Vehicle statute (as in the Erpenbach bill) but found it strongly opposed by the WIS DOT. We have worked with the legislature thru Rep Zigmunt and Rep Nelson and with the DOT to create a workable bill that will meet our needs as collectors. That is SB-404. We are currently working on a bill amendment in the assembly version AB592 that will further simplify the requirements for registration in this bill and to add an amendment to allow more “recreational driving” in addition to allowing driving to parades and club events. The same changes would be proposed in SB-404.

SB-392 was drafted without little input from HMV owners or the DOT. If enacted it will allow registration of HMV’s, but does not meet ALL our needs in its current form and may not be supported by the Governor.

You are encouraged to attend the hearings to show your interest and support or opposition to any of the legislation. You may choose to speak or may simply register in favor or in opposition and observe the testimony.

I will be providing testimony on behalf of the MVPA members and the organized HMV clubs in Wisconsin. We will speak in favor of SB 404 as the preferred bill but will likely not oppose SB-392.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE call, E mail or send a note (again) to your state senators and representatives to indicate the importance of this military vehicle legislation. And Keep contacting them. Once a week is not too much.

Hope to see you at the hearing.

Jeff

Jeff Rowsam
5432 South County Road
Denmark, WI. USA 54208
Home # 920 863 8656
Cell # 920 562 5776