2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-5186/1
EVM:cdc
November 7, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives Bare, Anderson, Clancy, DeSmidt, Fitzgerald, Johnson, Madison, Miresse, Prado, Roe, Sheehan, Stubbs, Tenorio and Udell, cosponsored by Senators Roys, Carpenter, Hesselbein, L. Johnson, Larson, Ratcliff and Spreitzer. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
AB626,1,3
1An Act to amend 343.18 (1) and 343.50 (5m); to create 343.17 (7), 343.21 (1) 2(Lm), 343.50 (5) (a) 1m. and 343.50 (7m) of the statutes; relating to:
3electronic copies of operators’ licenses and identification cards. Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill allows the Department of Transportation to issue a copy of an operator’s license or identification card in an electronic format to the person to whom the operator’s license or identification card is issued.
Under current law, a licensee must have his or her license document in his or her immediate possession when operating a motor vehicle and must display the license document upon demand from a traffic officer. Under this bill, the license document may be produced in either printed or electronic format.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
AB626,14Section 1. 343.17 (7) of the statutes is created to read: AB626,2,25343.17 (7) Electronic copy. The department may issue a copy of an
1operator’s license in an electronic format to the person to whom the operator’s 2license is issued. AB626,23Section 2. 343.18 (1) of the statutes is amended to read: AB626,2,134343.18 (1) Every licensee shall have his or her license document in his or her 5immediate possession at all times when operating a motor vehicle and shall display 6the license document upon demand from any judge, justice, or traffic officer. The 7license document required under this subsection may be displayed in either printed 8or electronic format, including by display of electronic images on a cellular 9telephone or other electronic device. If the license document is displayed in 10electronic format on any cellular telephone or other electronic device, the traffic 11officer may not view, and displaying a license document in electronic format is not 12considered consent for the traffic officer to view, any content on the telephone or 13other device except the license document required under this subsection. AB626,314Section 3. 343.21 (1) (Lm) of the statutes is created to read: AB626,2,1615343.21 (1) (Lm) For the issuance of a copy of an operator’s license in an 16electronic format under s. 343.17 (7), $10. AB626,417Section 4. 343.50 (5) (a) 1m. of the statutes is created to read: AB626,2,1918343.50 (5) (a) 1m. The department shall charge a fee of $10 for the issuance of 19a copy of an identification card in an electronic format under sub. (7m). AB626,520Section 5. 343.50 (5m) of the statutes is amended to read: AB626,3,421343.50 (5m) Card issuance fee. In addition to any other fee under this 22section, for the issuance of an original identification card or duplicate identification 23card, except the issuance of a copy of an identification card in an electronic format
1under sub. (7m), or for the renewal or reinstatement of an identification card after 2cancellation under sub. (10), a card issuance fee of $10 shall be paid to the 3department. The fee under this subsection does not apply to an applicant if the 4department may not charge the applicant a fee under sub. (5) (a) 2. or 3. or (7). AB626,65Section 6. 343.50 (7m) of the statutes is created to read: AB626,3,86343.50 (7m) Electronic copy. The department may issue a copy of an 7identification card in an electronic format to the person to whom the identification 8card is issued.
