WI
Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB72

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB72 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
OldNewDifferences
11 2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
22 LRB-2240/1
33 EVM:cdc
44 2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 72
55 February 24, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives MOSES, ANDRACA, ANDERSON,
66 BARE, DITTRICH, GUNDRUM, HYSELL, J. JACOBSON, JOERS, MIRESSE, MURSAU,
77 ORTIZ-VELEZ, PALMERI, ROE, SINICKI, SPAUDE and SUBECK, cosponsored by
88 Senators JACQUE, LARSON, CARPENTER, DASSLER-ALFHEIM, RATCLIFF and
99 ROYS. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
1010
1111 ***AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
1212 AN ACT to create 85.65 of the statutes; relating to: ratification of the Driver
1313 License Compact.
1414 Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
1515 This bill enters Wisconsin into the Driver License Compact, which establishes
1616 standards for the treatment and exchange of driver licensing and conviction
1717 information and other data pertinent to the licensing process.
1818 The DLC requires all participating states to recognize certain kinds of
1919 violations relating mostly to operating motor vehicles and the administrative
2020 actions taken in response to those violations, such as suspension or revocation of a
2121 person[s operating privilege by the appropriate state agency (DLC code violations).
2222 Under the DLC, when a person who is licensed in one state that is a party to the
2323 DLC commits a DLC code violation in another party state, the licensing state takes
2424 administrative action in response to the violation, based on information provided by
2525 the state in which the violation occurred. Any administrative action by a party state
2626 is recognized by all other party states. The DLC also generally provides that records
2727 concerning a licensed driver are maintained only by the licensing state.
2828 For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
2929 an appendix to this bill.
3030 1
3131 2 2025 - 2026 Legislature
3232 ASSEMBLY BILL 72
3333 - 2 - LRB-2240/1
3434 EVM:cdc
3535 SECTION 1
3636 The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
3737 enact as follows:
3838 SECTION 1. 85.65 of the statutes is created to read:
3939 85.65 Driver License Compact. The Driver License Compact is enacted
4040 into law and entered into with all other jurisdictions legally joining the compact in
4141 the following form:
4242 (1) ARTICLE I - FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF POLICY. (a) The party states
4343 find that:
4444 1. The safety of their streets and highways is materially affected by the degree
4545 of compliance with state and local ordinances relating to the operation of motor
4646 vehicles.
4747 2. Violation of a law or ordinance relating to the operation of motor vehicles is
4848 evidence that the violator engages in conduct which is likely to endanger the safety
4949 of persons and property.
5050 3. The continuance in force of a license to drive is predicated upon compliance
5151 with laws and ordinances relating to the operation of motor vehicles, in whichever
5252 jurisdiction the vehicle is operated.
5353 (b) It is the policy of each of the party states to:
5454 1. Promote compliance with the laws, ordinances, and administrative rules
5555 and regulations relating to the operation of motor vehicles by their operators in each
5656 of the jurisdictions where these operators drive motor vehicles.
5757 2. Make the reciprocal recognition of licenses to drive and eligibility for
5858 licenses to drive more just and equitable by considering the overall compliance with
5959 motor vehicle laws, ordinances, and administrative rules and regulations as a
6060 1
6161 2
6262 3
6363 4
6464 5
6565 6
6666 7
6767 8
6868 9
6969 10
7070 11
7171 12
7272 13
7373 14
7474 15
7575 16
7676 17
7777 18
7878 19
7979 20
8080 21
8181 22 2025 - 2026 Legislature
8282 ASSEMBLY BILL 72
8383 - 3 - LRB-2240/1
8484 EVM:cdc
8585 SECTION 1
8686 condition precedent to the continuance or issuance of any license by reason of which
8787 the licensee is authorized or permitted to operate a motor vehicle in any of the party
8888 states.
8989 (2) ARTICLE II - DEFINITIONS. As used in this compact:
9090 (a) XConvictionY means a conviction of any offense related to the use or
9191 operation of a motor vehicle that is prohibited by state law, municipal ordinance, or
9292 administrative rule or regulation or a forfeiture of bail, bond, or other security
9393 deposited to secure appearance by a person charged with having committed any of
9494 these offenses and which conviction or forfeiture is required to be reported to the
9595 licensing authority.
9696 (b) XHome stateY means the state that has issued and has the power to
9797 suspend or revoke the use of the license or permit to operate a motor vehicle.
9898 (c) XStateY means a state, territory, or possession of the United States, the
9999 District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
100100 (3) ARTICLE III - REPORTS OF CONVICTION. The licensing authority of a party
101101 state shall report each conviction of a person from another party state occurring
102102 within its jurisdiction to the licensing authority of the home state of the licensee.
103103 The report shall clearly identify the person convicted, describe the violation
104104 specifying the section of the statute, code, or ordinance violated, identify the court
105105 in which action was taken, indicate whether a plea of guilty or not guilty was
106106 entered or the conviction was a result of the forfeiture of bail, bond, or other
107107 security, and shall include any special findings made in connection with the
108108 conviction.
109109 1
110110 2
111111 3
112112 4
113113 5
114114 6
115115 7
116116 8
117117 9
118118 10
119119 11
120120 12
121121 13
122122 14
123123 15
124124 16
125125 17
126126 18
127127 19
128128 20
129129 21
130130 22
131131 23 2025 - 2026 Legislature
132132 ASSEMBLY BILL 72
133133 - 4 - LRB-2240/1
134134 EVM:cdc
135135 SECTION 1
136136 (4) ARTICLE IV - EFFECT OF CONVICTION. (a) The licensing authority in the
137137 home state, for the purposes of suspension, revocation, or limitation of the license to
138138 operate a motor vehicle, shall give the same effect to the conduct reported, pursuant
139139 to sub. (3), as it would if the conduct had occurred in the home state in the case of
140140 convictions for:
141141 1. Manslaughter or negligent homicide resulting from the operation of a motor
142142 vehicle.
143143 2. Driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or
144144 a narcotic drug, or under the influence of any other drug to a degree which renders
145145 the driver incapable of safely driving a motor vehicle.
146146 3. Any felony in the commission of which a motor vehicle is used.
147147 4. Failure to stop and render aid in the event of a motor vehicle accident
148148 resulting in the death or personal injury of another.
149149 (b) As to other convictions, reported pursuant to sub. (3), the licensing
150150 authority in the home state shall give that effect to the conduct as is provided by the
151151 laws of the home state.
152152 (c) If the laws of a party state do not provide for offenses or violations
153153 denominated or described in precisely the words employed in par. (a) of this article,
154154 the party state shall construe the denominations and descriptions appearing in par.
155155 (a) of this article as being applicable to and identifying those offenses or violations
156156 of a substantially similar nature and the laws of that party state shall contain those
157157 provisions that are necessary to ensure that full force and effect is given to this
158158 article.
159159 1
160160 2
161161 3
162162 4
163163 5
164164 6
165165 7
166166 8
167167 9
168168 10
169169 11
170170 12
171171 13
172172 14
173173 15
174174 16
175175 17
176176 18
177177 19
178178 20
179179 21
180180 22
181181 23 2025 - 2026 Legislature
182182 ASSEMBLY BILL 72
183183 - 5 - LRB-2240/1
184184 EVM:cdc
185185 SECTION 1
186186 (5) ARTICLE V - APPLICATIONS FOR NEW LICENSES. Upon application for a
187187 license to drive, the licensing authority in a party state shall ascertain whether the
188188 applicant has ever held or is the holder of a license to drive issued by any other
189189 party state. The licensing authority in the state where application is made shall
190190 not issue a license to drive to the applicant if:
191191 (a) The applicant has held a license issued by any other party state, but the
192192 license has been suspended by reason, in whole or in part, of a violation and if the
193193 suspension period has not terminated.
194194 (b) The applicant has held a license issued by any other party state, but the
195195 license has been revoked by reason, in whole or in part, of a violation and if the
196196 revocation has not terminated, except that after the expiration of one year from the
197197 date the license was revoked the person may make application for a new license if
198198 permitted by law. The licensing authority may refuse to issue a license to an
199199 applicant under this paragraph if, after investigation, the licensing authority
200200 determines that it will not be safe to grant to the person the privilege of driving a
201201 motor vehicle on the public highways.
202202 (c) The applicant is the holder of a license to drive issued by another party
203203 state and currently in force unless the applicant surrenders the license.
204204 (6) ARTICLE VI - APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAWS. Except as expressly required
205205 by provisions of this compact, nothing contained in this compact shall be construed
206206 to affect the right of any party state to apply any of its other laws relating to licenses
207207 to drive to any person or circumstance, nor to invalidate or prevent any driver
208208 1
209209 2
210210 3
211211 4
212212 5
213213 6
214214 7
215215 8
216216 9
217217 10
218218 11
219219 12
220220 13
221221 14
222222 15
223223 16
224224 17
225225 18
226226 19
227227 20
228228 21
229229 22 2025 - 2026 Legislature
230230 ASSEMBLY BILL 72
231231 - 6 - LRB-2240/1
232232 EVM:cdc
233233 SECTION 1
234234 license agreement or other cooperative arrangement between a party state and a
235235 nonparty state.
236236 (7) ARTICLE VII - COMPACT ADMINISTRATOR AND INTERCHANGE OF
237237 INFORMATION. (a) The head of the licensing authority of each party state shall be
238238 the administrator of this compact for his or her state. The administrators, acting
239239 jointly, shall have the power to formulate all necessary and proper procedures for
240240 the exchange of information under this compact.
241241 (b) The administrator of each party state shall furnish to the administrator of
242242 each other party state any information or documents reasonably necessary to
243243 facilitate the administration of this compact.
244244 (8) ARTICLE VIII - ENTRY INTO FORCE AND WITHDRAWAL. (a) This compact
245245 shall enter into force and become effective as to any state when it has enacted the
246246 compact into law.
247247 (b) Any party state may withdraw from this compact by enacting a statute
248248 repealing the compact, but the withdrawal shall not take effect until 6 months after
249249 the executive head of the withdrawing state has given notice of the withdrawal to
250250 the executive heads of all other party states. No withdrawal shall affect the validity
251251 or applicability by the licensing authorities of states remaining party to the
252252 compact of any report of conviction occurring prior to the withdrawal.
253253 (9) ARTICLE IX - CONSTRUCTION AND SEVERABILITY. This compact shall be
254254 liberally construed so as to effectuate the purposes of the compact. The provisions
255255 of this compact shall be severable and if any phrase, clause, sentence, or provision of
256256 this compact is declared to be contrary to the constitution of any party state or of
257257 1
258258 2
259259 3
260260 4
261261 5
262262 6
263263 7
264264 8
265265 9
266266 10
267267 11
268268 12
269269 13
270270 14
271271 15
272272 16
273273 17
274274 18
275275 19
276276 20
277277 21
278278 22
279279 23 2025 - 2026 Legislature
280280 ASSEMBLY BILL 72
281281 - 7 - LRB-2240/1
282282 EVM:cdc
283283 SECTION 1
284284 the United States or the applicability thereof to any government, agency, person, or
285285 circumstance is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of this compact and the
286286 applicability of the compact to any government, agency, person, or circumstance
287287 shall not be affected by the holding. If this compact shall be held contrary to the
288288 constitution of any state party to the compact, the compact shall remain in full force
289289 and effect as to the remaining states and in full force and effect as to the state
290290 affected as to all severable matters.
291291 (END)
292292 1
293293 2
294294 3
295295 4
296296 5
297297 6
298298 7
299299 8