112 Relating to: suspension of operating privilege or registration for unsatisfied judgment for damages arising out of a motor vehicle accident.

Date of enactment: December 7, 2011
2011 Senate Bill 217 Date of publication*: December 20, 2011

* Section 991.11, Wisconsin Statutes 2009-10 : Effective date of acts. "Every act and every portion of an act enacted by the legislature over the governor's partial veto which does not expressly prescribe the time when it takes effect shall take effect on the day after its date of publication as designated" by the secretary of state [the date of publication may not be more than 10 working days after the date of enactment].

2011 WISCONSIN ACT 112

An Act to renumber and amend 344.26 (1); to amend 344.26 (title) and 344.27 (3); and to create 344.26 (1) (b) of the statutes; relating to: suspension of operating privilege or registration for unsatisfied judgment for damages arising out of a motor vehicle accident.

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

Section 1 . 344.26 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

344.26 (title) Suspension to continue until after judgment paid and proof of financial responsibility given for money damages .

Section 2 . 344.26 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 344.26 (1) (a) and amended to read:

344.26 (1) (a) Subject to the exceptions stated in ss. 344.25 (2) and 344.27 (2), any operating privilege or registration suspended or revoked under s. 344.25 shall remain suspended or revoked until every for 5 years from the date of entry of judgment or until the judgment mentioned in s. 344.25 is stayed, satisfied, or discharged , whichever is earlier, and, unless 3 years have elapsed since the date on which the judgment was stayed, satisfied, or discharged or 8 years have elapsed since the date of entry of judgment, whichever is earlier, or unless the person is a nonresident, until the person whose operating privilege and registration was suspended or revoked furnishes and maintains in effect proof of financial responsibility for the future.

Section 3 . 344.26 (1) (b) of the statutes is created to read:

344.26 (1) (b) If suspension of any operating privilege or registration under s. 344.25 was terminated before 5 years from the date of entry of judgment because an exception under s. 344.25 (2) or 344.27 (2) applied and the judgment debtor's operating privilege or registration is subsequently suspended under s. 344.25 (2) or 344.27 (3), the operating privilege or registration shall remain suspended for all of the following periods:

1. Five years from the date of suspension under s. 344.25 (2) or 344.27 (3) or until the judgment is stayed, satisfied, or discharged, whichever is earlier. A suspension period that commences on the date of suspension under s. 344.25 (2) or 344.27 (3) under this subdivision shall be reduced by the amount of time that the judgment debtor's operating privilege or registration was suspended under s. 344.25 before one of the exceptions under s. 344.25 (2) or 344.27 (2) was satisfied.

2. Three years from the date on which the period under subd. 1. expires. The suspension under this subdivision does not apply to a person who is a nonresident or who furnishes and maintains in effect proof of financial responsibility for the future.

Section 4 . 344.27 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:

344.27 (3) If the judgment debtor fails to pay any installment as specified by such order, the secretary, upon notice of such default, shall immediately suspend the operating privilege and registrations of the judgment debtor until such judgment is satisfied or until the applicable time limit is reached as provided in s. 344.26.