AB870: Bill Text

LRB-4316/1

ARG:wlj:rs

2003 - 2004 LEGISLATURE

2003 Assembly BILL 870

February 19, 2004 - Introduced by Representative Ainsworth, cosponsored by Senator Schultz. Referred to Committee on Transportation.

AB870,1,4 An Act to renumber 86.195 (1) (a); to amend 86.195 (1) (d) 1., 86.195 (3) (intro.), 86.195 (4) (b) and 86.195 (10) (a); and to create 86.195 (1) (am) and 86.195 (3) (e) of the statutes; relating to: displaying attractions on highway specific information signs.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

The federal Highway Beautification Act limits the placement of signs visible from interstate and federal-aid primary highways. Current state law incorporates these requirements and allows, with limitations, the Department of Transportation (DOT) to erect and maintain certain informational signs to assist motorists traveling along state highways. DOT may, with restrictions, authorize the erection and maintenance, on designated state highways, of specific information signs, which notify motorists that certain businesses located near a highway are available to provide gas, food, lodging, or camping to motorists. DOT also may, with restrictions, erect and maintain tourist-oriented directional signs to provide identification of and directional information for tourist-related businesses, services, or activities that derive the majority of their income or visitors during the normal business season from motorists not residing in the immediate area where the businesses, services, or activities are located.

This bill allows specific information signs to display the word "attraction," along with "gas," "food," "lodging," and "camping," and allows a sign mounted on the specific information sign to identify the attraction. Consistent with federal law directives, an attraction under the bill must have all of the following:

1. A primary purpose of providing amusement, historical, cultural, or leisure activities of interest to the traveling public and be owned or operated by a governmental entity; be a publicly or privately owned site of natural phenomena or of historic, cultural, scientific, educational, or religious interest; or be an area of natural scenic beauty or naturally suited for outdoor recreation.

2. Regional significance.

3. Adequate parking.

For further information see the state and local 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:

AB870, s. 1 Section 1. 86.195 (1) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 86.195 (1) (ar).

AB870, s. 2 Section 2. 86.195 (1) (am) of the statutes is created to read:

AB870,2,4 86.195 (1) (am) "Business" includes an attraction, whether public or private, described in sub. (3) (e).

AB870, s. 3 Section 3. 86.195 (1) (d) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB870,2,7 86.195 (1) (d) 1. One or more of the words "GAS", "FOOD", "LODGING" and, "CAMPING", or "ATTRACTION";

AB870, s. 4 Section 4. 86.195 (3) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB870,2,13 86.195 (3) Motorist services. (intro.) Specific information signs may only include business signs for the following categories of motorist services: "GAS", "FOOD", "LODGING" and, "CAMPING", and "ATTRACTION". To qualify for display on a specific information sign a business must meet the following standards for the respective category of motorist service:

AB870, s. 5 Section 5. 86.195 (3) (e) of the statutes is created to read:

AB870,2,15 86.195 (3) (e) "ATTRACTION" shall have:

AB870,2,17 1. A primary purpose of providing amusement, historical, cultural, or leisure activities of interest to the traveling public and shall be at least one of the following:

AB870,3,1 a. Owned or operated by a state, federal, or local government.

AB870,3,3 b. A publicly or privately owned site of natural phenomena or of historic, cultural, scientific, educational, or religious interest.

AB870,3,4 c. An area of natural scenic beauty or naturally suited for outdoor recreation.

AB870,3,5 2. Regional significance; and

AB870,3,6 3. Adequate parking accommodations.

AB870, s. 6 Section 6. 86.195 (4) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB870,3,10 86.195 (4) (b) The relative location of successive specific information signs near a particular intersection shall be in the following order, as seen by the traveling public: "ATTRACTION", "CAMPING", "LODGING", "FOOD" and "GAS".

AB870, s. 7 Section 7. 86.195 (10) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB870,3,15 86.195 (10) (a) Subsections (2) to (8) are adapted from and in substantial conformity with the federal standards promulgated by the U.S. secretary of transportation under 23 USC 109 (d), 131 (f) and 315 as codified in 23 CFR 655.301 to 655.310 (1980) and 23 CFR 750.

AB870, s. 8 Section 8 . Nonstatutory provisions.

AB870,3,21 (1) The department of transportation shall, no later than the first day of the 7th month beginning after the effective date of this subsection, adopt, under section 84.02 (4) (e) of the statutes, chapter 2F of the U.S. department of transportation manual on uniform traffic control devices, 2003 edition, relating to specific service signs.

AB870, s. 9 Section 9. Effective dates. This act takes effect on the first day of the 7th month beginning after publication, except as follows:

AB870,3,24 (1) Section 8 (1) of this act takes effect on the day after publication.

AB870,3,25 (End)