Alerts
Consumer Choice - SB184
Public Hearing - May 27th, 2025
The State Senate Committee on Transportation and Local Government has scheduled a Public Hearing for SB184 on Tuesday, May 27th at 10:30AM in room 300 Southeast in Madison. This is our bill to prevent governmental restrictions based on the energy source of a vehicle or device.
This is our bill to protect the consumers choice on what type of engine that we feel is appropriate for our new vehicle, or device, based on our own research and budget. We are looking for members and like minded people to attend the hearing to show support for this important piece of legislation. You do not need to speak at this hearing as we will have people there to present the position of the motorcyclists in the state.
If you cannot attend, and if your State Senator is on this committee, please call, or email their office and let them know that you support SB184. The committee members are Senators Tomczyk (Chair), Senator Hutton (Vice-Chair) and Senators Wanggaard, Carpenter and Spreitzer. If you need to know how to contact them, their information can be found here - https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/legislators/senate
We are looking to fill the hearing room and it would be great if we have constituents of the committee members, but having anyone there will help. Once you get there, we can help with getting you registered to support it if you want.
The Committee Chair is Senator Tomczyk, and he is the lead author for this bill. It would be great to show him how much we support him taking the lead on this by filling the hearing room with bikers.
Thank you,
Steve Panten
ABATE of Wisconsin – Legislative Committee Chair
5/22/2025
PUBLIC HEARING
Definition of a Motorcycle
Call to Action - Federal H.R.3385
ABATE of Wisconsin spent 5 years working on passing a law that would better define a motorcycle making sure that if a vehicle is not straddled with hand and foot controls, it would not be considered a motorcycle. The bill draft that we proposed was supported by both Harley Davidson and Polaris. With the passage of our bill, the State Department of Transportation is able to correctly track motorcycle crashes and fatalities making sure that other vehicles do not fall into our statistics.
While we corrected it in Wisconsin, when the state DOT reports the crashes to the Federal DOT, these vehicles are added back into the statistics. Thanks to Wisconsin Congressman Derek Van Orden, we have a chance to fix this on the Federal level. The language in H.R. 3385 is the same language that passed in Wisconsin and already, Harley Davidson and the AMA have come out in support of it.
Here is our chance to push our other Federal elected officials to sign on and support this important piece of legislation. PLEASE, take the time to complete the Call to Action from the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and let's get this done in Washington DC. After you complete it, please send it to all your friends and family to complete the request, they do not need to be an ABATE member, MRF member, or even a motorcyclists to do it. Keeping statistics clean is the best way to track the impact of motorcycling on our roads.
Support H. R. 3385 - Definition of a Motorcycle
Thank you,
Steve Panten
ABATE of Wisconsin – Legislative Committee Chair
5/23/2025
Consumer Choice - AB161
Public Hearing - April 9th, 2025
Is the ability to purchase a vehicle or equipment with an engine that operates on the fuel source
of your choice important to you?
Consumers in Wisconsin should be able to choose whether they need an internal combustion
engine or an electric motor. Wisconsin’s AB161 is a bill written to protect a consumer’s ability to
purchase a vehicle or equipment with any engine type, regardless of policies written by other
states.
On Wednesday, April 9th, at 10:30 AM, the State Assembly Committee on State Affairs is
holding a Public Hearing on AB161 in room 225 Northwest of the State Capitol. This hearing is
our chance to voice our support for protecting internal combustion engines and electric motors.
Are you part of a snowmobile club, ATV/UTV club, landscape company, or car club? Make your
voice heard! Are you willing to let policies drafted in other states, like California, dictate the type
of engine you will have in your next vehicle? Your next lawn mower, chainsaw, snowmobile,
UTV… anything?
Plan to attend this hearing! ABATE of Wisconsin will be there, representing the motorcyclists of
this state and we will be available to help when you get there. We cannot be successful without
everyone’s voices!
Thank you! We will see you in Madison on April 9th .
Steve Panten
ABATE of Wisconsin – Legislative Committee Chair
04/05/2025
Right to Repair - AB135
Coming off a successful ABATE Lobby Day in Madison last month, our Right to Repair bill is on the move!
Now known as AB135, this bill would give consumers a choice of where to take their vehicles and other products for repairs when needed. It would require manufacturers to make the tools and technology available for consumers to repair their own vehicles and products or have the ability to take it to a repair facility of their choice rather than going back to the dealer, or manufacturer’s authorized repair shop.
Many states have passed a version of this legislation mainly to target companies like Apple and farm equipment manufacturers, AB135 would be for all products, including vehicles. With some motorcycle dealers no longer servicing vehicles older than 10 years, we feel this is important to protect our ability to make the necessary repairs.
We would like to thank Representative Penterman and Senator Jacque for recognizing how important this is to consumers in the state and sponsoring this bill. Because this bill affects small businesses and independent shops, we will need to get those companies on board to help us be successful in passing AB135. Already, large companies and manufacturer groups are lobbying to stop this legislation, so now is the time to organize. We need to build a coalition of small businesses and independent shops to speak up at the Public Hearings when they are scheduled. If you know of someone that can help, please reach out to ABATE of Wisconsin’s Legislative Committee Chair, Steve Panten at legis@abatewis.org.
Steve Panten
ABATE of Wisconsin – Legislative Committee Chair