Rule No.
Relating to
Entrance to exams.
Rule Type
Permanent.
1. Finding/Nature of Emergency (Emergency Rule Only)
None.
2. Detailed Description of the Objective of the Proposed Rule
The purpose of the proposed rule is to bring current Wisconsin Administrative Code in line with recent legislation, specifically
2013 Wisconsin Act 114.
3. Description of the Existing Policies Relevant to the Rule, New Policies Proposed to be Included in the Rule, and an Analysis of Policy Alternatives
Pursuant to the enactment of
2013 Wisconsin Act 114, the Department of Safety and Professional Services and its attached boards may no longer require any person applying for professional licensure to complete their postsecondary education prior to being eligible to take an examination for a credential. In accordance with this legislation, the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board must allow applicants for physician licensure to take their credentialing exam before completing their postsecondary education. The proposed rule will implement this change by amending Wis. Admin. Code ch.
Med 1.
4. Detailed Explanation of Statutory Authority for the Rule (Including the Statutory Citation and Language)
Section
15.08 (5) (b), Stats., provides examining boards, “shall promulgate rules for its own guidance and for the guidance of the trade or profession to which it pertains. . ." The proposed rule seeks to provide guidance on eligibility for licensure examination.
Section
227.11 (2) (a), Stats., discusses the parameters of an agency's rule-making authority by stating that an agency, “may promulgate rules interpreting provisions of any statute enforced or administered by the agency. . . .but a rule is not valid if it exceeds the bounds of correct interpretation. . ." This section allows an agency to promulgate administrative rules which interpret the statutes it enforces or administers as long as the proposed rule does not exceed proper interpretation of the statute.
Section
440.071 (1), Stats., provides that, “the department or a credentialing board or other board in the department may not require a person to complete any postsecondary education or other program before the person is eligible to take an examination for a credential the department or credentialing board or other board in the department grants or issues."
5. Estimate of Amount of Time that State Employees Will Spend Developing the Rule and of Other Resources Necessary to Develop the Rule
State employees will spend approximately 50 hours developing the proposed rule.
6. List with Description of all Entities that may be Affected by the Proposed Rule
The proposed rule will affect applicants for physician licensure.
7. Summary and Preliminary Comparison with any Existing or Proposed Federal Regulation that is Intended to Address the Activities to be Regulated by the Proposed Rule
None.
8. Anticipated Economic Impact of Implementing the Rule (Note if the Rule is Likely to Have a Significant Economic Impact on Small Businesses)
The proposed rule is likely to have minimal or no economic impact on small businesses.
Contact Person
Shawn Leatherwood
608-261-4438
Transportation
The statement of scope was approved by the governor on October 16, 2014.
Rule No.
Relating to
Motor carrier safety.
Rule Type
Emergency.
Finding/Nature of Emergency (Emergency Rules Only)
The welfare of commercial motor vehicle drivers who hold a commercial driver license (“CDL") issued by the State of Wisconsin who operate commercial motor vehicles outside this state, and the welfare of Wisconsin shippers who engage those driving services, will be harmed if they cannot demonstrate compliance with recent federal regulations because other states will view them as unlicensed drivers and will delay transport of those loads. Federal regulations require CDL holders to have certified to their state of licensure the type of commercial driving operations in which they engage and, if required, to have filed with the state of licensure proof of medical fitness to drive, and to have their electronic driving records updated by the state of licensure to show they have completed these actions, before driving a commercial motor vehicle. The Department published the scope statement for permanent rulemaking in September 2011 to implement these federal requirements. The permanent rulemaking effort is ongoing but cannot take effect before the Wisconsin Legislature reconvenes in January 2015.
Description of the Objective of the Rule
The federal regulations at
49 CFR 383 and
391 were revised by "Medical Certification Requirements as Part of the CDL", 73 FR 73096 (Dec. 1, 2008; RIN 2126-AA10). These federal regulations require, no later than January 30, 2014, all commercial driver license (“CDL") holders to provide information to their state driver licensing agency (“SDLA") regarding the type of commercial motor vehicle operation they drive in or expect to drive in with their CDL. Drivers operating in certain types of commerce will be required to submit a current medical examiner's certificate to their SDLA to obtain a “certified" medical status as part of their driving record. Federal regulations require states to downgrade the CDL privileges of any CDL holder required to have a “certified" medical status who fails to provide and keep up-to-date their medical examiner's certificate with their SDLA. The revisions to the regulations did not change the requirement to obtain medical certifications.
This rule implements the federal requirements for commercial drivers obtaining and submitting medical certificates in conformity with those federal regulations. Section
343.065 (3) of the Wisconsin statutes, created by
2011 Wisconsin Act 32, authorizes the Department to downgrade commercial drivers licenses of drivers who fail to provide federally mandated medical certifications, and to promulgate rules defining this downgrade process.
This rulemaking will allow the Department to:
• Define the procedures for drivers to certify their driving type (Tier) to the Department;
• Define the procedures for submitting federally required medical certifications to the Department, and for the Department to enter that certification on the driving record;
• Create the process for downgrading a CDL and reinstating a CDL after the downgrade has occurred; and
• Describe the types of notifications drivers and employers will receive prior to the federal medical card expiration; when the driver is downgraded; and when the driver is reinstated.
Description of the Existing Policies Relevant to the Rule, New Policies Proposed to be Included in the Rule, and an Analysis of Policy Alternatives
Since January 2012, federal law requires all original and renewal applicants for a commercial driver's license to certify their driving type (Tier). Drivers operating in interstate commerce who are not subject to the exceptions identified (Tier 1) must furnish and maintain a current, valid copy of their federal medical certificate (sometimes called a "Fed Med card") to the Department. The Department must electronically capture the information on the federal medical certificate, and retain a copy of the federal medical certificate on file.
In January 2014, all persons in Wisconsin who hold a commercial driver's license (CDL) will be required to comply with these requirements. The Department will downgrade drivers who fail to comply with these requirements in accordance with the procedures defined below. The Department has already downgraded any driver who has not complied with these requirements, and the Department believes that all drivers have either complied or have already been downgraded.
These federal regulations require, and s.
343.065 (3), Wis. Stats., authorizes, the Department to downgrade a driver's commercial driving privileges if the driver does not certify a tier
, or if the driver is operating in non-excepted interstate commerce (Tier 1) and fails to submit a federal medical certificate or to keep his or her federal medical certificate up-to-date.
Several alternatives exist to implementing these new regulations for allowing drivers to certify their driving type as well as the downgrade process.
Alternatives for Commercial Drivers to Certify Driving Type
1. Do nothing. Ignoring the federal regulations will result in drivers who hold Wisconsin CDL's being treated as unlicensed drivers when traveling out of state. This will delay transport of loads, harming shippers and buyers. In addition, Wisconsin would lose approximately $4.7 million dollars in motor carrier safety assistance program (MCSAP) and highway funds annually. The Department believes taking no action is impractical.
2. Require all CDL holders to visit a DMV field service station to certify their Tier of driving and provide proof of their federal medical certificate.
This approach is burdensome, and is not feasible for Wisconsin drivers who are currently out of state.
3. Require all CDL holders to use an electronic or online process to certify their driving type and provide federal medical certificate information to DMV.
This approach is not feasible for drivers with limited access to computers and the Internet.
4. Create a hybrid system that allows drivers to choose to certify and provide federal medical documentation electronically, or to certify and present the federal medical certificate in person at a DMV field station.
This approach will allow drivers and their employers' flexibility in how they provide this information. As such, the Department will pursue this approach.
Alternatives for Downgrade Process
The federal regulations offer several alternatives for downgrading a CDL for drivers that are operating in interstate, non-excepted commerce (Tier 1). Note: The following downgrade process does not apply to drivers who will not operate in interstate, non-excepted commerce. Those drivers are not required to keep updated federal medical information on file with the Department.
1. Do nothing. Ignoring the federal regulations will result in drivers who hold Wisconsin CDL's being treated as unlicensed drivers when traveling out of state. In addition, Wisconsin would lose approximately $4.7 million dollars in motor carrier safety assistance program (MCSAP) and highway funds annually. The Department believes taking no action is impractical.
2. Change the Tier 1 driver's certification of their driving type to operating exclusively in intrastate commerce (Tier 3).
Drivers operating solely in intrastate commerce must have restrictions added to their CDL. As such, to implement this alternative, the Department would have to re-issue the CDL document every time a Tier 1 driver was downgraded to ensure the physical license matched the electronic record. To remove the downgrade, drivers would be required to visit a DMV field station, provide their federal medical certificate, and pay a fee for a duplicate license. This would be burdensome and impractical for Wisconsin CDL drivers who are currently out of state. This approach would require considerable staff resources and potential delays for drivers, since DMV field stations are not open seven days a week.
3. Remove the CDL privileges from the driver's license.
The CDL privileges will be removed from the driver's license using a "Voluntary Temporary Surrender" (VTS), which will appear on the electronic record only. The driver's commercial classes & endorsements will remain printed on the license document, but drivers will not be able to legally operate in interstate commerce until a copy of an updated federal medical certificate is provided to the Department.
While this alternative may seem unduly burdensome, it is actually much easier for the drivers to get their privileges back. They (or their employer) can submit their federal medical certificate to the Department either in person or electronically via the Department's secure web system. Once the new federal medical certificate is recorded on the driver's record, the driver's commercial privileges are restored. Drivers can easily comply, even from out of state.
In addition, the drivers can retain their current physical driver licenses, and will not be required to pay a fee to regain their commercial operating privileges. The Department will pursue this approach for downgrading.
Other Policy Items
The Department plans to use the VTS process for commercial drivers who may be revoked, suspended, or disqualified for other reasons. The VTS allows the Department to track the federal medical requirements as well as the underlying reason for the suspension, revocation, or disqualification.
In accordance with federal regulations, the Department will notify Tier 1 commercial drivers 60 days prior to the expiration of their federal medical certificate. If the Department does not receive an updated federal medical certificate, the driver will be downgraded ten days after the expiration of the current federal medical certificate, using the VTS process described above. The driver will receive notification of this action.
The Department also plans to use its Employer Notification system to provide up-to-date information to employers about each of their drivers' certified Tier of operation and current status of their federal medical certificates.
This rule-making defines federal medical certificates as part of the driver application. This allows the Department to take appropriate action when receiving a fraudulent federal medical certificate.
Statutory Authority for the Rule (Including the Statutory Citation and Language)
2011 Wisconsin Act 32 (the biennial budget bill) created s.
343.065 (a), Stats.
, which gives the Department authority to downgrade a commercial driver license if a federal medical certificate is not on file. Section
343.065 (3) (b), Stats., requires the Department to:
1.
Promulgate rules to define "downgrade" in accordance with federal law and regulations or guidance from the applicable federal agency.
2.
Establish the process for downgrading a commercial driver license and whether a new commercial driver license document will be issued after a commercial driver license is downgraded.
3.
Establish the process for reinstating a downgraded commercial driver license after the Department receives from the licensee a valid medical certification or other appropriate certification of physical qualifications.
Section
343.06 (3), Stats., requires the Department to ensure that CDL holders meet federal physical qualifications for drivers contained in
49 CFR 391.
Estimate of the Amount of Time that State Employees Will Spend to Develop the Rule And of Other Resources Necessary to Develop the Rule
It is estimated this emergency rule will take approximately 10 hours to develop. The Department is currently drafting a permanent rule on the same subject to comply with existing federal requirements, but the permanent rule cannot take effect before the Wisconsin Legislature reconvenes in January 2015. Other resources necessary to successfully implement the emergency rule include computer programming resources, and an outreach campaign to affected commercial drivers and other interested stakeholders, which would otherwise be done for the permanent rule.
Description of all Entities that may be Impacted by the Rule
This emergency rule will affect all Wisconsin drivers who currently hold a Commercial Driver License (CDL). As of December 2010, when the permanent rule-making commenced, there were 289,596 persons holding commercial drivers licenses, of which 224,860 were valid (not withdrawn or expired). It will also indirectly impact motor carrier companies, employers of commercial drivers, law enforcement, other state driver licensing agencies, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Summary and Preliminary Comparison of any Existing or Proposed Federal Regulation That is Intended to Address the Activities to be Regulated by the Rule
This emergency rule-making is intended to ensure Wisconsin's compliance with new federal regulations in
49 CFR Parts 383 and
391, requiring drivers of commercial motor vehicles to certify their type of driving to the Department
, and to submit a copy of their federal medical certificate to the Department
.
All states are required to comply with these new federal regulations.
Anticipated Economic Impact of Implementing the Rule (Note if the Rule is Likely to Have a Significant Economic Impact on Small Businesses)
Comments to the proposed federal regulations identified the following potential burdens on drivers: 1) Requiring drivers to travel to the DMV to make the certification or provide medical certifications; 2) The extra cost for drivers to obtain new CDLs or medical certifications; 3) The extra cost to drivers of corresponding more frequently with the SDLA; 4) Requiring drivers to maintain proof of medical fitness during extended periods of absence from driving. The Department intends to minimize these impacts on drivers, as those actions carry proportionate cost increases to the Department.
