• Home
  • News
    • Politics / Govt
    • Legislature
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
    • Archives
  • Sports
    • Badgers
    • Packers
      • Titletown Report
    • Brewers
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support

Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Legislature / Railroad officials call for Wisconsin budget veto

Railroad officials call for Wisconsin budget veto

July 10, 2015 By Andrew Beckett

PHOTO: Jackie Johnson

PHOTO: Jackie Johnson

Wisconsin railroad officials want Governor Scott Walker to veto a last-minute addition to the state budget.

The measure, approved as a part of the Joint Finance Committee’s final omnibus motion without discussion, repeals the state’s railroad trespassing law. The law allows police to issue citations to people who trespass on or along railroad tracks and corridors, primarily to prevent someone from being hit by a train.

Mark Davis with Union Pacific Railroad says the unexpected change could put public safety at risk. A person or vehicle is hit by a train in the U.S. about every three hours, while in the past five years, there have been eight trespasser injuries and 10 fatalities alone on Union Pacific property. He calls the change “very troubling for us, because we have found over the past several years that trespass fatalities are on the rise.”

State Railroad Commissioner Jeff Plale says the provision started as an effort to address concerns about people trying to access fishing areas along the Mississippi River, but somehow transformed into a full repeal in the budget writing process. Plale says the fishing access issue is something they can fix without having to repeal an important law that protects public safety, either by putting in safe crossings or working with local officials. As written, he says “it opens up railroad trespass carte blanche throughout the state. I think it’s just wrong-headed.”

The state budget bill is currently being reviewed by Governor Scott Walker and his staff. He will issue his veto message when he signs the budget in to law.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Legislature, News



Featured Stories

Top-ranked Badger women’s volleyball the Unanimous Big Ten Preseason favorite

Big Ten suspends Wisconsin’s Ahcan

Bucks lose tight battle with Nets

Packers get rematch with Tampa Bay in NFC Championship

12th ranked Wisconsin sweeps Arizona State

TwitterFacebook

Listen Now | More from Titletown ยป

Sports Headlines

Top-ranked Badger women’s volleyball the Unanimous Big Ten Preseason favorite

Badgers go with familiar face as new defensive line coach

Big Ten suspends Wisconsin’s Ahcan

Bucks lose tight battle with Nets

Packers get rematch with Tampa Bay in NFC Championship

More Sports

Tweets by @WRN

Get our news delivered to your inbox:

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Copyright © 2021 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC