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Bills from the 2021–22 session

Senate Bill 429

Construction and issuance of motor vehicle registration plates. (FE)

Became law

The governor signed it on Mar 14, 2022. It's ⁠.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Jun 24, 2021

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Senate vote, passed

    Passed Feb 15, 2022

  4. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed 95 to 1

  5. Governor, passed

    Signed

  6. Law, here now

    2021 Wisconsin Act 163

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 14, 2022: “Published 3-12-2022”

Read the bill

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What it does

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

This bill requires the Department of Transportation to replace motor vehicle registration plates on a rolling seven-year basis beginning in 2022 and establishes requirements for the construction of plates.

Under current law, DOT must establish new designs for plates at intervals determined by DOT. Subsequently, DOT must issue plates with the new design at a time determined by DOT. Plates may also be replaced upon application of a vehicle owner in the case of lost, destroyed, or illegible plates.

Read the full summary

Under the bill, beginning with registrations effective February 1, 2022, if the registration for a vehicle is renewed and plates for that vehicle have not been issued during the previous seven years, DOT must issue two new registration plates for the vehicle. The bill requires DOT to assess a $6.50 fee for the replacement plates and $3.25 for a plate that is lost, destroyed, or illegible.

Under current law, standard plates issued on an annual or biennial basis and plates issued for motor trucks with a gross weight of not more than 8,000 pounds must be treated with a reflectorized material or substance. DOT must, in conjunction with the Department of Corrections and the Department of Administration, establish the specifications for the reflectorized material and award a contract for supplying the material through a competitive bidding process.

The bill retains this requirement and provides that all new plates issued by DOT be constructed with aluminum plates and prismatic sheeting with embedded security features. The plate sheeting must be a type successfully used by the manufacturer in multiple jurisdictions and must also meet specified reflectivity and luminance values.

Who's behind it

7 senators are its ⁠. 6 are Republicans and 1 is a Democrat.

14 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 21 names

Authors (7)

Signed on in support (14)

What it would cost

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

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

How lawmakers voted

There were 6 votes on this bill.

Senate Committee on Transportation and Local Government vote on an amendment

Passed, 5 to 0 · Jan 20, 2022

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report adoption of Senate Amendment 2 recommended by Committee on Transportation and Local Government, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate Committee on Transportation and Local Government vote to recommend it

Passed, 5 to 0 · Jan 20, 2022

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Transportation and Local Government, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Joint Committee on Finance vote on an amendment

Passed, 15 to 0 · Feb 9, 2022

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report adoption of Senate Substitute Amendment 1 recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 15, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Joint Committee on Finance vote to recommend it

Passed, 15 to 0 · Feb 9, 2022

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage as amended recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 15, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate vote to pass it

Passed, 30 to 2 · Feb 15, 2022 · 1 didn't vote

See how each of the 33 senators voted

D: Democrat, R: Republican

No (2)

Didn't vote (1)

Official motion: “PASSAGE”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Assembly vote to pass it

Passed, 95 to 1 · Feb 23, 2022 · 3 didn't vote

See how each of the 99 representatives voted

D: Democrat, R: Republican

Yes (95)

No (1)

Didn't vote (3)

Official motion: “CONCURRENCE”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 14, 2022

    The new law was published.

  2. Mar 14, 2022

    The governor signed it. It became 2021 Wisconsin Act 163.

  3. Mar 10, 2022

    Sent to the governor.

  4. Feb 23, 2022

    The Assembly passed it too, 95 to 1.

  5. Feb 17, 2022

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  6. Feb 15, 2022

    The Assembly received it.

  7. Feb 15, 2022

    The Senate passed it, 30 to 2.

  8. Feb 15, 2022

    The Senate adopted it.

  9. Feb 9, 2022

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 15 to 0.

  10. Feb 9, 2022

    “Report adoption of Senate Substitute Amendment 1 recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 15, Noes 0” (the official wording)

  11. Jan 28, 2022

    Sent to the Joint Committee on Finance.

  12. Jan 20, 2022

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 5 to 0.

  13. Jan 20, 2022

    “Report adoption of Senate Amendment 2 recommended by Committee on Transportation and Local Government, Ayes 5, Noes 0” (the official wording)

  14. Nov 18, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  15. Oct 7, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  16. Sep 29, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  17. Sep 7, 2021

    1 more senator signed on in support.

  18. Sep 7, 2021

    The committee held a public hearing.

  19. Jun 24, 2021

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Transportation and Local Government.

  20. Jun 24, 2021

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Jun 24, 2021 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Wanggaard, L. Taylor, Felzkowski, Jagler, Kooyenga, Marklein and Nass; cosponsored by Representatives Zimmerman, Dittrich, Edming, James, Kurtz, Plumer, J. Rodriguez, Spiros, Steffen, Tusler, Schraa, VanderMeer and Murphy

  2. Jun 24, 2021 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Transportation and Local Government

  3. Sep 7, 2021 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  4. Sep 7, 2021 · Senate

    Senator Carpenter added as a coauthor

  5. Sep 29, 2021 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Oct 7, 2021 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  7. Nov 17, 2021 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senator Wanggaard

  8. Nov 18, 2021 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  9. Jan 12, 2022 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 2 offered by Senator Wanggaard

  10. Jan 19, 2022 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  11. Jan 20, 2022 · Senate

    Report adoption of Senate Amendment 2 recommended by Committee on Transportation and Local Government, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  12. Jan 20, 2022 · Senate

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Transportation and Local Government, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  13. Jan 20, 2022 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  14. Jan 27, 2022 · Senate

    Senate Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Senator Wanggaard

  15. Jan 28, 2022 · Senate

    Withdrawn from committee on Senate Organization and rereferred to joint committee on Finance pursuant to Senate Rule 46(2)(c)

  16. Feb 9, 2022 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  17. Feb 9, 2022 · Senate

    Report adoption of Senate Substitute Amendment 1 recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 15, Noes 0

  18. Feb 9, 2022 · Senate

    Report passage as amended recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 15, Noes 0

  19. Feb 9, 2022 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  20. Feb 11, 2022 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 2-15-2022 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  21. Feb 15, 2022 · Senate

    Read a second time

  22. Feb 15, 2022 · Senate

    Senate Substitute Amendment 1 adopted

  23. Feb 15, 2022 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  24. Feb 15, 2022 · Senate

    Rules suspended

  25. Feb 15, 2022 · Senate

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 30, Noes 2

  26. Feb 15, 2022 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  27. Feb 15, 2022 · Assembly

    Received from Senate

  28. Feb 17, 2022 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Rules

  29. Feb 22, 2022 · Assembly

    Made a special order of business at 8:13 AM on 2-23-2022 pursuant to Assembly Resolution 29

  30. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  31. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  32. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  33. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Read a third time and concurred in, Ayes 95, Noes 1

  34. Feb 23, 2022 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  35. Feb 23, 2022 · Senate

    Received from Assembly concurred in

  36. Feb 25, 2022 · Senate

    Report correctly enrolled

  37. Mar 10, 2022 · Senate

    Presented to the Governor on 3-10-2022

  38. Mar 14, 2022 · Senate

    Report approved by the Governor on 3-11-2022. 2021 Wisconsin Act 163

  39. Mar 14, 2022 · Senate

    Published 3-12-2022

Terms on this page

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act. 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

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. 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

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary

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

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act

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

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

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

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote

More in the glossary