An Act to create 84.1011 of the statutes; Relating to: designating and marking memorial highways for state troopers.
SB1006 would create a new statute directing the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to designate and mark eight specific highway segments as memorial highways honoring fallen or recognized state troopers. The bill lists routes on STH 23, STH 59, I-94, STH 46, STH 67, I-90, and STH 54, and assigns each segment the name of a specific trooper, including Donald C. Pederson, Gary G. Powless, Debbie M. McMenamin, Willie Schoenberger, Jorge Dimas, Trevor J. Casper, Anthony J. Borostowski, and Daniel Stainbrook.
The bill also sets a funding condition: DOT must erect and maintain the memorial markers only after receiving sufficient contributions from interested parties, which may include counties, cities, villages, or towns. It expressly prohibits the use of state funds for the erection or maintenance of the markers beyond those contributed amounts. In practical terms, the bill would add a new memorial-highway provision to the statutes and authorize signage on the specified roadway segments if local or private funding is secured.
SB1006 would create s. 84.1011 of the Wisconsin Statutes and require the Department of Transportation to install and maintain memorial highway markers for the named troopers on the specified state and interstate routes. The bill does not change traffic rules or roadway operations, but it does impose a new administrative duty on DOT tied to donor-funded signage and memorial designation. It affects DOT, local governments, and any interested parties contributing funds, while limiting fiscal impact on the state by barring the use of state funds for the markers.
The bill appears broadly respectful and commemorative in tone, reflecting support for honoring state troopers through highway memorials. The available context shows no recorded committee debate or vote details, and there is no evidence of substantive opposition in the provided materials. However, the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, indicating that it did not complete the legislative process despite its ceremonial purpose.
There is little visible policy contention in the text itself because the measure is primarily honorary. The main practical issue is the funding mechanism: DOT may act only after receiving sufficient contributions from interested parties, including local governments, which could raise questions about who pays for installation and long-term maintenance. Any disagreement would likely center on the appropriateness of memorial highway designations, the selection of honorees and roadway segments, or whether local entities should bear the cost, but no specific objections are documented in the provided record.