A new bill (AB-330) would establish a special license plate for the ALS Association-Wisconsin chapter. Thomas Kettler with the ALS Association says the purpose is two-fold. “First we need your help to increase awareness of ALS so that others might join us in the fight to conquer it. Secondly we look to AB-330 to provide a source of income to the Wisconsin chapter that will assist in expanding our ability to serve those throughout the state who are fatally afflicted.”
Willing participants would pay a $25 annual fee toward the ALS fund, in addition to the standard vehicle registration fee (currently at $75 for standard automobiles). Plus, there’s a one-time issuance or re-issuance fee of $15 for new specialty plates.
Kettler says he and his wife Sue had been married for over 40 years when she was diagnosed with ALS — a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, leading to paralysis and eventual death. “In 2003 she was diagnosed with ALS and succumbed over five years later.”
Kettler says, along with friends and family, the ALS Association was very helpful to him and his wife and each new challenge. The group’s primary goal is to serve the needs of Wisconsin ALS patients. The ultimate goal is to find a cause and cure for the fatal disease. Kettler stresses both goals require funding.
Representative Paul Farrow (R-Pewaukee) is the bill’s sponsor. He says there’s no additional cost to the state — no taxpayer funds would be used. The first nearly $24,000 collected from the specialty license plate fees would go to the Transportation Fund to cover startup costs. Anything above that would go to ALS.
There are currently over 300 Wisconsin residents with ALS being helped by the Wisconsin chapter. Wisconsin has about three dozen specialty license plates.
AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report 2:17