On Wednesday, March 20th, and Friday March 22nd, Governor Tony Evers signed three bills authored by Representative Nancy VanderMeer (R-Tomah) into law. Two related pieces of legislation, Senate Bill 791 and Senate Bill 792, primarily allow private sector businesses to offer electronic vehicle charging stations throughout the state and allow the State of Wisconsin to be eligible for roughly $78 Million in federal infrastructure funding. Those bills are now 2023 Acts 121 and 122, respectively.

 

Additionally, Assembly Bill 569 was signed by the governor on Friday, March 22nd, and is now 2023 Act 202. The idea for this bill was brought forward by a small business owner in Tomah, WI, and tweaks antiquated state statutes relating to the location of driver schools and how close in proximity they can be to Department of Transportation licensing and certification offices. All three bills received broad bipartisan support in the State Assembly and State Senate.

 

Representative VanderMeer released the following statement:

 

“Senate Bills 791 and 792 represent over four years of work with my colleagues and stakeholders from all across the political spectrum. These bills represent a significant change in state statutes and now allow private sector businesses to offer electric vehicle charging services for a fee. On top of that, these bills now allow our state to receive additional transportation fund revenue from high-speed electronic vehicle charging services and represent an important first step in adapting to changes in the consumer marketplace. These bills allow the private sector to meet a demand in the economic marketplace and I’m grateful to everyone that helped move them forward.