Typically, the summer months during the legislative session are light with legislative activity happening in Madison, in part so that representatives can spend more time in their legislative districts. However, in the past couple weeks, the Assembly Committee on Transportation, of which I currently serve as Chairperson, has held public hearings and votes on bills to potentially be brought before the full State Assembly this fall.

The legislation we’ve recently worked with has had a prominent theme of safety on the roadways. For example, Representative Brent Jacobson (R-Mosinee) has a piece of legislation, Assembly Bill 179, that authorizes the use of a combination of blue and red lights mounted on the front, sides, or rear of a police vehicle if the vehicle is already equipped with roof or interior lights as specified in his bill. Did you know that current law states that the blue light must be mounted on the passenger side and a red lights must be mounted on the driver side of a marked police vehicle? Have you noticed?

Another example is that Rep. Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah) is working with some of the funeral service providers throughout the state to authorize the use of flashing purple lights for funeral processions as a number of our neighboring states do. His bill, Assembly Bill 302, doesn’t require funeral service providers to install the lights but rather allows them to for processions to try to help keep family members and friends of the deceased safe during a difficult time.

To learn more about these bills or see what else the Assembly Committee on Transportation is working with this session, you can click on this LINK on the Wisconsin Legislature’s website.