PRESS RELEASE
State Sen. Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan) voted for legislation affecting towns and villages, emergency zones, and supportive of the state’s specialized emergency response teams.
Ballweg and Rep. Warren Petryk (R-Town of Washington) authored a bill that provides a more reasonable financial penalty for towns and villages that do not submit their annual statement for general transportation aids on time.
“Our local towns and villages do really well with the tight budgets they have to work with. We should be doing everything we can to support them, not burden them with harsh fines,” said Ballweg. ”There was a case in my district where a computer error, which was no fault of their own, resulted in a $9,000 loss from their transportation aids. That money may not have fixed all of the town’s priorities, but it sure would have helped.”
General transportation aids are payments that go to local governments to cover a share of the cost for road construction, maintenance and traffic operations. In order for these local governments to receive general transportation aid payments, they must submit certain forms to assist in calculating their payment amounts.
Previously, the Department of Revenue reduced aids by one percent for each day late, up to a maximum of 10 percent. Under this new law, the penalty will be $100 a day with a cap of $2,200.
This bill is supported by the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, Wisconsin Towns Association and Wisconsin Coordinated Transportation Cooperative.
Wisconsin Specialized Emergency Response Teams
Ballweg (R-Markesan) and Representative Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton) authored a bill that makes several changes to state statute to ensure Wisconsin is able to maintain critical emergency response teams. This legislation was signed into law as 2021 Act 104.
The Division of Emergency Management within the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) contracts with local agencies to staff both Wisconsin’s Structural Collapse Team and the Regional Hazardous Materials Response Teams.
Wisconsin’s Structural Collapse Team was created in 2009 and is comprised of 11 fire departments. The task force has been mobilized four times, including once in my district in response to the explosion at Cambria’s Didion Milling plant.
The Regional Hazardous Materials Response Teams have been in existence for 26 years and are activated when there are incidents involving hazardous material spills, leaks, explosions or injuries, or if there is an immediate threat to life, the environment or property. There are currently 21 Regional Hazardous Materials Response Teams across the state.
“Our local firefighters and hazmat teams who serve on these task forces put themselves in dangerous situations,” said Ballweg.
Provisions in the bill include:
Transitioning the Wisconsin Structural Collapse Team into an Urban Search and Rescue Team, as defined by the National Fire Protection Agency and Emergency Management Accreditation program standards. This will allow the team to respond to many different types of incidents beyond structural collapse, including vehicle extrication, confined space, wide space and water rescues.
Providing certainty to our local agencies that when they are deployed, they will be swiftly reimbursed for their services. DMA will reimburse municipalities within 60 days while DMA seeks reimbursement from a responsible party.
Allowing DMA to reimburse a local agency for an increase in contributions for duty disability premiums.
This bill was drafted at the request of several Wisconsin fire chiefs and is supported by many associations representing local governments, fire departments and emergency services.
Emergency Zones
Sen. Ballweg and Rep. Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton) had their bill, which creates an emergency or roadside response area, signed into law as 2021 Wisconsin Act 115.
According to a survey done by AAA, 17 percent of Wisconsin drivers have experienced a crash, or near miss, with an emergency vehicle on the side of the road, and 19 percent are unsure, or believe there is not a “Move Over Law” in Wisconsin.
“Our police officers, EMS, fire departments and tow truck drivers put themselves in extremely dangerous situations when trying to clean up accidents or remove vehicles from the side of our highways,” said Ballweg. “This legislation provides additional protections to keep them safe.”
An emergency zone is defined as a section of roadway within 500 feet of an emergency vehicle or tow truck displaying a visible signal or flashing red lights. Just like in a construction zone, this law will ban the use of cell phones, double the fines for certain traffic violations and if the traffic violation results in bodily harm, create an instance where the operator of the vehicle can face a higher penalty.
“Unfortunately, nationwide we see nearly one roadside worker or first responder lose their life every two weeks, with hundreds more injured,” said Ballweg. “This legislation also includes a requirement that the Department of Transportation produce an awareness campaign to educate drivers about the new law and how they can protect emergency workers by safely traveling past these dangerous incidents.”