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Bills from the 2011–12 session

Assembly Bill 698

Limitations on the use of an occupational license

Topics: Drunken driving, Motor vehicle: Driver's license, Transportation, Department of: Vehicles, United States: Transportation, Department of

Stopped in committee

It never got a ⁠, so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Mar 15, 2012

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Assembly vote, not reached

  4. Senate vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Apr 26, 2012: “Fiscal estimate received”

It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Transportation. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

Read the bill

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under current law, with certain exceptions and limitations, a person may apply to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for an occupational license if the person's operating privilege is revoked or suspended for various specified offenses and the person is engaged in an occupation, including homemaking, trade, or study, making it essential that he or she operate a motor vehicle. The occupational license must contain definite restrictions as to hours of the day, hours per week, type of occupation, and areas or routes of travel that are permitted under the occupational license. The occupational license may allow travel to and from church.

Current federal law requires a state to enact and enforce a repeat intoxicated driver law that meets certain requirements. Among the requirements is that, as a minimum penalty, persons convicted of a second or subsequent offense for driving while intoxicated may receive a reinstatement of "limited driving privileges for the purpose of getting to and from work, school, or an alcohol treatment program."

Read the full summary

Failure to meet the federal repeat intoxicated driver law requirements subjects the state to a transfer of 3 percent of federal funds apportioned to the state for federal-aid highways to the state's apportionment of funds for certain highway safety programs. In September 2011, the federal Department of Transportation determined that Wisconsin is not in compliance with federal repeat intoxicated driver law requirements and ordered a transfer of funds.

This bill allows the state secretary of transportation, if he or she determines that the imposition of restrictions is necessary to avoid a transfer of funds due to noncompliance with federal repeat intoxicated driver law requirements, to impose restrictions on the use of an occupational license by a person who has two or more driving while intoxicated offenses in any five-year period, until the restrictions are no longer necessary to avoid a transfer of funds. Under this bill the secretary may restrict use of an occupational license for 1) occupational travel other than to or from work; 2) occupational travel for the occupation of homemaking; and 3) travel to or from church.

Who's behind it

Karl Van Roy, a Republican, is its ⁠.

See all the details

Author (1)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

What happened

  1. Apr 26, 2012

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  2. Mar 23, 2012

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  3. Mar 15, 2012

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Transportation.

  4. Mar 15, 2012

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Mar 15, 2012 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representative Van Roy

  2. Mar 15, 2012 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Transportation

  3. Mar 23, 2012 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

  4. Apr 26, 2012 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

More in the glossary

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate

More in the glossary