Indication of veteran status of certain service members on operators’ licenses or identification cards, the official text

2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-4078/1
ZDW:klm

2025 SENATE BILL 387
August 11, 2025 - Introduced by Senators Jacque, Pfaff, Feyen, Habush Sinykin, Hesselbein, Ratcliff, Spreitzer and Wirch, cosponsored by Representatives Franklin, Sortwell, Sinicki, Doyle, Behnke, Dittrich, Fitzgerald, Goeben, Goodwin, Hysell, B. Jacobson, Knodl, Kreibich, Madison, Maxey, Murphy, Mursau, Roe, Udell, Wichgers and Stroud. Referred to Committee on Transportation and Local Government.

An Act to create 45.01 (12) (L) of the statutes; relating to: indication of veteran status of certain service members on operators’ licenses or identification cards.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, a veteran of the U.S. armed forces may elect to indicate his or her veteran status on his or her Wisconsin operator’s license or identification card. “Veteran” is a defined term that includes individuals who have served a specified period of active duty under honorable conditions in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces. With limited exceptions, neither national guard duty nor service in a reserve unit qualifies as active duty.
This bill creates a definition of “veteran” that includes any person who is a former member of the U.S. armed forces, a reserve unit of the U.S. armed forces, or the national guard and who meets the eligibility requirements for a veterans home loan established by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This definition applies only for the purpose of enabling such a person to indicate on his or her operator’s license or identification card that he or she is a veteran and does not apply to any other veteran benefit.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. 45.01 (12) (L) of the statutes is created to read:
45.01 (12) (L) For purposes of ss. 343.14 and 343.17 only, a former member of the U.S. armed forces, a reserve unit of the U.S. armed forces, or the national guard who meets the eligibility requirements for a veterans home loan established by the U.S. department of veterans affairs.
Section 2. Initial applicability.
(1) This act first applies to applications that are received by the department of transportation on the effective date of this subsection.
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