Legislative Report - February 2026

Steve Panten

We Have Yet to Receive Anything

It’s Lobby Day time! We have the handouts for our Legislators ready, and our speakers are getting briefed on how to present our legislative agenda. We are ready! Are you? I guess the real question would be, is Madison ready? Our elected representatives will be in the building, but are they ready to meet with motorcyclists from around the state? This time we are bringing back 2 topics, and we are focusing on one we did in the past, but now more than ever, it is important. Let’s discuss the new topic first in case you don’t make it all the way to the end of this article.

In January we learned about a bill draft that was being circulated for cosponsors, LRB-4144/P1. If passed, this would provide a path for the State Department of Transportation (DOT) and the State Legislature to draft rules for vehicles operating in Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous mode. A little background on what that means – Level 4 would be a vehicle operating driverless with minimal support from an operator, and Level 5 would be completely driverless.

When we learned about this draft, we submitted a position paper to all the legislators in Madison asking them not to support this bill draft until more testing is done to show how they interact with motorcycles on the road. Nationwide, motorcyclists have been asking for a report showing what testing has been done, and a copy of the results from any manufacturer with vehicles that could operate in Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous mode, and we have yet to receive anything. Again, we ask, why not? Testing has been done with this technology around other vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, animals, and you were proud to share those reports, but when we ask about motorcycles, we get nothing. Was the testing done and the public is not ready for the results?

Autonomous technology is being developed to someday make roads safer for all users and what they have developed so far is amazing, but it is clearly not ready to be expanded to everyday use. Should Wisconsin roads be used as a testing track for the manufacturers? The results so far have not been great when it comes to their interaction around motorcyclists. We have seen reports of Tesla’s running into the back of motorcycles at freeway speeds because they do not “see” them. From 2017 to 2023 there were 709 crashes involving Tesla’s in Wisconsin, how many of them were operating in autonomous mode you ask? Well, in 2024, the DOT could not answer that question. Don’t you think we should understand the impact of these vehicles on Wisconsin roads before drafting rules allowing it? Wisconsin is a destination for motorcyclists from around the world because of our history and traditions. Do we really want our roads to be a testing track?

When we learned about this bill draft, we reached out to the bill authors, Senator Cabral-Guevara and Representatives Maxey and Gustafson to learn more about where this is coming from. I would like to thank the Senator and Representative Maxey for reaching out with more information. Senator Cabral-Guevara said that she believes this technology is the future and can help citizens, especially elderly and children, get to appointments by taking advantage of the driverless taxis that other states are testing. Her and her husband both own, and drive, Tesla’s with this technology and feel that there is a benefit to this state. Again, I ask, should Wisconsin roads be used as a test track for these manufacturers or should they work on perfecting this technology on their own? We understand there is value to this technology, but it is premature to start implementing it when we don’t even know its capabilities.

Right to Repair is another important topic for motorcyclists, especially since we see that manufacturer dealerships are not working on motorcycles that are more than 10 years old (this includes the one in my town.) Our goal is to make sure the tools and technology are available for a reasonable fee to make my own repairs on my own motorcycle, or to take it to a repair shop of my choice instead of being forced to go back to the dealership. This is especially important for residents that may not have a dealership in their town. How far are they going to have to travel, or have their motorcycle towed, just to have a technician look at it and say it will be a month or more before they can get to it. The dealership in my town won’t even look at it, so I will have to take it to a different dealership.

Our last discussion topic will be protecting the sale of all vehicles and devices regardless of their fuel source. Yep, same thing the State Legislature passed the past 2 sessions, just to have the governor veto it. This is going to be a discussion agenda item only since nothing can be done this session anyway. We know for sure that we will have a new Governor next session since Governor Evers is not running again, so we need to start having discussions on how, allowing the state to follow the lead of California and ban the sale of certain vehicles and devices solely on its fuel source by a selected date, will hurt consumers and small businesses.

One more thing…. recently, the legislature passed a law that says municipalities can pass ordinances stating, if someone is pulled over for reckless driving, they can have their vehicle impounded on the spot. The City of Milwaukee has adopted that ordinance, and they define reckless driving as operating 20 miles over the speed limit. If you are caught, you could have your motorcycle impounded until all fees, including towing and storage, are paid. The way it is written, if you have any outstanding fees due from parking tickets, etc. they need to be paid too. This may be happening in other parts of the State, but so far Milwaukee is the only one that I heard of.

February 17th is the most important day for motorcyclists across the state. Please, get the word out, bring friends, family members, and small business owners who will be affected by decisions made on that day. I will see you in Madison!

That’s it.

Steve