The Governor’s Steering Committee on Autonomous and Connected Vehicle Testing and Deployment met at the Capitol on Nov. 15. Steven Cyra from HNTB presented on the federal Department of Transportation (USDOT) connected vehicle pilot in Tampa, Florida. The Tampa project, he said, used a mixture of USDOT funding and revenue from Tampa area tolls to […]
Governor’s Autonomous Vehicle Committee November Meeting
Date Fri, Dec. 1, 2017 - 8:49am By Hamilton
Gov. Walker’s Steering Committee on Driverless Cars Meets
Date Fri, Oct. 27, 2017 - 9:31am By Hamilton
In May 2017, Gov. Scott Walker issued an executive order creating a committee on driverless cars. The governor’s Steering Committee on Autonomous and Connected Vehicle Testing and Deployment convened for the second time on Oct. 18 to discuss Wisconsin’s current statutes surrounding driverless cars and examples from other states. After introductions of committee members, the […]
JFC Passes Budget Bill
Date Mon, Sep. 11, 2017 - 11:44am By Hamilton
Just before 9 P.M. on Sept. 6, the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) completed its work on the 2017-19 state budget. JFC spent long days on Tuesday and Wednesday taking votes on Foxconn and the remaining budget issues: transportation, taxes, and the “wrap up” motion. Statutory language of the budget bill will be finalized in the […]
JFC Resumes Budget Work
Date Fri, Sep. 1, 2017 - 8:28am By Hamilton
After a two-month break, the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) have resumed their work on the state budget. JFC met on August 24 and 28 to vote on some outstanding issues including Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Department of Public Instruction (DPI). JFC will meet again on Tuesday, September 5, to finish up their work, […]
DOT Reform Package Introduced
Date Fri, Jul. 21, 2017 - 8:57am By Hamilton
Last week a group of Republican legislators, led by Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) and Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-New Berlin), introduced a transportation reform package (LRB 3884). According to the author’s co-sponsorship memo, the legislation “combines various reform bills that have already been introduced into one omnibus reform package,” and “proposes several new ideas to address […]
Wisconsin Budget in Limbo
Date Mon, Jul. 10, 2017 - 9:24am By Hamilton
The completion of the 2017-19 Wisconsin biennial budget remains in limbo. The new fiscal year started on July 1, and with no new budget, the state continues to operate under last fiscal year’s budget. The Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) last met on June 15, and has not set another meeting date to take up […]
LFB Releases Transportation Fund Memo
Date Fri, Jun. 9, 2017 - 8:58am By Hamilton
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) released a memo last week revealing a $94 million increase in the balance of the state’s transportation fund. LFB had originally estimated the 2017-19 biennium-ending fund balance at $8.4 million. However, mainly due to projections of higher fuel tax revenues and lower debt service costs, LFB re-estimated the fund balance […]
Gov. Walker Issues Executive Order on Driverless Cars
Date Thu, May. 25, 2017 - 3:08pm By Hamilton
Gov. Scott Walker issued an executive order last week that creates a committee on autonomous vehicles. The Steering Committee on Autonomous and Connected Vehicle Testing and Deployment will advise the governor on how best to advance the testing and operation of such vehicles in Wisconsin. According to the order, the committee will identify and coordinate […]
Assembly Republicans Release Transportation Plan
Date Thu, May. 11, 2017 - 5:00pm By Hamilton
On Thursday, May 4, the Assembly Republicans held a press conference to announce a transportation budget proposal. The proposal, authored by Rep. Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield) aims to reduce the level of bonding in Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed transportation budget by $300 million and to increase tax revenues to the transportation fund. Additionally, the proposal aims […]
Joint Audit Committee Holds DOT Audit Hearing
Date Fri, Feb. 24, 2017 - 11:28am By Hamilton
The Joint Audit Committee held a public hearing Wednesday, Feb. 22 on the January audit of the Department Transportation’s highway program. The audit found increased expenditures, inaccurate cost estimates and deteriorating state roads. At the beginning of the hearing, the committee questioned the two state auditors. Legislators expressed concern about the upcoming DOT budget. Joint […]