Friday, January 22, 2010
SENATE HEARING AFTER ACTION REPORT (AAR)
Current status of the proposed Wisconsin legislation.
This past Wed, the public hearing was held before the Senate Transportation Committee at the state capitol in Madison. Public comment was heard on two bills SB 392 by Senator Erpenbach and SB 404, by Senator Hansen.
The Hansen bill 404 is the companion bill with assembly bill AB 592 (Dec 2009) that was developed with input from the Wisconsin MVPA membership and Historic Military Vehicle Owners clubs. The bill was drafted after collectors met with the DOT to determine the states concerns and objections to licensing HMV’s. The DOT primarily objects to the unrestricted use of the broad category of “former military vehicles” with includes large and small vehicles and wheeled armor.
The Hansen/Zigmunt bill would create a change in current state law that would create a definition and category for Historic Military Vehicles. The bill was drafted to overcome a potential state ban being enforced by current law thru the DOT and would allow owners of former military vehicles to use their vehicles as historic objects in parades, public displays, club and other organized events. And could be driven for maintenance (exercising the vehicle). The bill also eliminated the 20 year age requirement for former US built military vehicles which simplified the registration process and would allow titling and registration of vehicles purchased from the government without a “Date of Manufacture”. It also would create a new “Historic Military Vehicle” license plate for former military vehicles.
The Erpenbach bill 392 was developed on behalf of the smaller group of owners of Ex Swiss Pinzgauer trucks who had been targeted by the DOT since 2007. The Pinz owners advocate for unrestricted use as regular transportation. The bill seeks to create a change to the existing state collector vehicle license rules that would define former Military Vehicles as a special interest type and allow there unlimited use under the collector law. It would eliminate the current collector plate restriction to limit cargo to no more than 500 Lbs. The only restriction would be no use during the month of January as in the current collector law.
Both bill’s create a category for former military vehicles with some restriction. Both bill’s have bi-partisan support.
The hearing was attended by about 20 HMV owners. Four spoke, including myself, all in favor of both bill’s. Only the attorney for the DOT/DMV spoke against. And his testimony apposing the Erpenbach bill was so strong that the chairman and other senators on the committee formally apologized to the veterans and vehicle owners present. The chair also indicated his concern that the state DOT was acting like a playground bully over the issue.
The DOT testimony to the Hansen bill SB 404 was less harsh and they acknowledged the efforts of the HMV collectors to cooperate in addressing the safety concerns the state had raised.
In our testimony we asked for amendment to both bills. Eliminating the 25 year age requirement from the Erpenbach bill and changing the wording of the Hansen bill to allow in addition to parades and events, HMV owners to use there vehicles for “private recreational use”. They would still be prevented from using HMV’s as daily transportation.
Some of the Pinz owners suggested in testimony that a two tiered solution could be created to allow the smaller vehicles more use. Several numbers were stated, including vehicle weight limits of 10 or 15,000 Lbs. We are opposing this proposal because it would complicate the registration requirements and unfairly favors owners of smaller vehicles.
We are working with the senate and assembly committee members to remove the language from both bill’s requiring “military markings” and simply keeping a former military vehicle as manufactured as a special interest vehicle. This was an objection heard from collectors as too vague and an unneeded requirement.
In each case, legislation to allow some type of use of former military vehicles in Wisconsin, will likely move to a floor vote. This would have to come before the end of the legislative session this spring or the process starts all over in fall.
Several directions are now possible,
1) The two bills may be modified and amended based on public input from the hearings. Then merged into a single bill,
2) The committee could choose to allow one and block the other.
3) The committee could allow two bills to be sent to the floor for a vote.
Since there are similar bills in both the assembly and the senate, any differences would have to be reconciled for final approval before reaching the governors office. And the Governor can always veto any bill that reaches his desk.
All Military Vehicle owners need to continue to contact their Wisconsin state legislators and ask them to support one of the bills. This is fast moving (for legislation) and needs your action as soon as you can. Call them, write to them or e mail them but tell them which bill you want.
Thanks
Jeff Rowsam
