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AB561: Bill Text
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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-4859/1
EVM:skw&cdc
2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 561
October 15, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives
Kaufert
,
Maxey
,
Penterman
,
Gundrum
,
Sinicki
,
Palmeri
,
Goeben
,
Goodwin
,
Knodl
,
Dittrich
,
Murphy
,
Kreibich
,
Melotik
and
Behnke
, cosponsored by Senator
Hutton
. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
AB561,1,4
1
An Act
to renumber and amend
346.485 (2);
to amend
346.485 (3) and
2
346.49 (3);
to repeal and recreate
346.485 (4);
to create
121.52 (6), 346.485
3
(2) (bm) and 346.49 (3m) of the statutes;
relating to:
owner liability for
4
illegally passing a school bus and providing a penalty.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill allows the use of photographic or video information to support the issuance of citations for certain traffic violations related to failure to stop for a school bus that is discharging pupils.
Current law generally requires the driver of a vehicle approaching a school bus that is stopped on a highway and that is displaying flashing red warning lights to stop the vehicle not less than 20 feet from the bus and to remain stopped until the bus resumes motion or the school bus operator extinguishes the warning lights. A person who violates this requirement may be required to forfeit not less than $500 nor more than $1,000.
Current law also imposes liability on the owner of a vehicle that fails to stop as required for a school bus displaying flashing red warning lights (failure-to-stop violation). If a school bus operator observes a failure-to-stop violation, the school bus operator may prepare a written report that includes specified information. Within 24 hours after the violation, the school bus operator may deliver this report to a traffic officer of the county or municipality in which the failure-to-stop violation occurred. Within 48 hours after receiving the report, the traffic officer may prepare a uniform traffic citation for the owner of the vehicle that failed to stop. The citation may be served on the owner personally, by leaving a copy of the citation at the owner’s usual place of abode, or by certified mail. Currently, a person who is subject to vehicle owner liability may be required to forfeit not less than $30 nor more than $300.
Under this bill, if a school bus is equipped with a photographic or video system and the owner or operator of the bus or a third-party vendor that monitors the photographic or video system detects a failure-to-stop violation by use of the photographic or video system, the owner, operator, or third-party vendor may prepare and deliver a report together with a picture or video of the violation to a traffic officer of the county or municipality in which the failure-to-stop violation occurred. The officer may then issue a citation as provided for a violation reported by a school bus operator. Alternately, if authorized by the municipality in which the violation occurred, the owner, operator, or third-party vendor may prepare a traffic citation and deliver it, together with a picture or video of the violation, to a traffic officer for the officer’s approval and issuance.
This bill also does all of the following:
1. Eliminates the specification of the period in which a report of a failure-to-stop violation may be made and the period in which a citation must be prepared.
2. Allows for personal service of a citation or service by mail without specification of a preferred method.
3. Provides, for a citation that may be served by mail, that service must be made by first-class mail rather than certified mail.
4. Increases the maximum forfeiture for owner liability for a failure-to-stop- violation to $500.
These four changes apply to reports made by both school bus operators and those who monitor photographic or video systems installed on school buses.
Also, under the bill, a school board may directly or indirectly by entering into a contract with a third party install and monitor photographic or video systems on school buses for the purpose of recording evidence of failure-to-stop violations.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
AB561,1
1
Section
1
.
121.52 (6) of the statutes is created to read:
AB561,2,4
2
121.52
(6)
A school board may directly or indirectly by entering into a contract
3
with a 3rd party install and monitor photographic or video systems on school buses
4
for the purpose of recording evidence of violations of s. 346.48 (1).
AB561,2
1
Section
2
.
346.485 (2) of the statutes is renumbered 346.485 (2) (am) and
2
346.485 (2) (am) (intro.) and 2., as renumbered, are amended to read:
AB561,3,6
3
346.485
(2)
(am) (intro.) The operator of a school bus who observes a violation
4
of s. 346.48 (1) may prepare a written report
for delivery under sub. (3)
indicating
5
that a violation has occurred.
If possible, the
The
report shall contain the following
6
information:
AB561,3,7
7
2. The license number
and color
of the vehicle involved in the violation.
AB561,3
8
Section
3
.
346.485 (2) (bm) of the statutes is created to read:
AB561,3,17
9
346.485
(2)
(bm) 1. If an owner or operator of a school bus or a 3rd-party
10
vendor that monitors photographic or video systems installed on a school bus
11
detects a violation of s. 346.48 (1) by use of a photographic or video system equipped
12
to the school bus, the owner, operator, or 3rd-party vendor may prepare a report,
13
photographic or video evidence, or, if authorized under subd. 2., a uniform traffic
14
citation under s. 345.11 for delivery under sub. (3) indicating that a violation has
15
occurred. A report or citation under this paragraph shall be accompanied by a
16
photograph or recording that demonstrates the violation. A citation under this
17
paragraph need not be complete before delivery under sub. (3).
AB561,3,21
18
2. A municipality may authorize by ordinance the completion and issuance of
19
uniform traffic citations prepared by a 3rd party vendor under subd. 1. and delivery
20
of the citation to a traffic officer in the county or municipality in which the violation
21
occurred for review under sub. (3).
AB561,4
22
Section
4
.
346.485 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB561,4,11
23
346.485
(3)
Within 24 hours after observing the violation, the school bus
24
operator may deliver the
If a person under sub. (2) delivers a
report
or photographic
1
or video evidence satisfying the requirements of sub. (2) (am) or (bm)
to a traffic
2
officer of the county or municipality in which the violation occurred
, the traffic
3
officer may issue a citation under sub. (4). If a person provides a citation and
4
photograph or recording under sub. (2) (bm) to a traffic officer of the county or
5
municipality in which the violation occurred, the traffic officer may review the
6
citation and photograph or recording and complete and issue the citation
. A report
7
which
under this subsection that
does not
contain
satisfy
all the
information in
8
requirements under
sub. (2)
(am) or (bm) or a citation under sub. (2) (bm) that a
9
traffic officer has declined to issue
shall
nevertheless be delivered and shall
be
10
maintained by the county or municipality for statistical purposes
, except that any
11
photographic or video evidence may not be maintained
.
AB561,5
12
Section
5
.
346.485 (4) of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:
AB561,4,16
13
346.485
(4)
A traffic officer who issues a uniform traffic citation for a
14
violation under this section shall personally serve the citation upon the owner of the
15
vehicle or serve the citation by 1st class mail addressed to the owner’s last known
16
address.
AB561,6
17
Section
6
.
346.49 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB561,4,22
18
346.49
(3)
A vehicle owner or other person found liable under s.
346.485 or
19
346.457 may be required to forfeit not less than $30 nor more than $300. Imposition
20
of liability under s.
346.485 or
346.457 shall not result in suspension or revocation
21
of a person’s operating license under s. 343.30, nor shall it result in demerit points
22
being recorded on a person’s driving record under s. 343.32 (2) (a).
AB561,7
23
Section
7
.
346.49 (3m) of the statutes is created to read:
AB561,5,4
24
346.49
(3m)
A vehicle owner or other person found liable under s. 346.485
1
may be required to forfeit not less than $30 nor more than $500. Imposition of
2
liability under s. 346.485 shall not result in suspension or revocation of a person’s
3
operating license under s. 343.30, nor shall it result in demerit points being
4
recorded on a person’s driving record under s. 343.32 (2) (a).
AB561,5,5
5
(end)
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