Transportation

SB 699 modifies school transportation rules to allow more flexible options. It lowers the standard passenger limit for school buses from 14 to 9 or fewer people (excluding the driver) and creates a new emergency process: school boards can request temporary transportation for 10+ passengers if regular service is unavailable, requiring approval from the transportation secretary. The bill also specifies insurance requirements, mandating minimum $10,000 property damage and $25,000 bodily injury coverage for non-school-owned vehicles carrying 9 or fewer passengers. These changes directly affect school districts, bus contractors, and private providers offering pupil transportation services.

AB 219 creates a 50% tax credit for eligible rail infrastructure spending in Wisconsin. It directly affects Class II/III railroads operating in the state and owners/lessees of rail sidings or industrial spurs, covering both new track construction (like spurs and sidings) and track maintenance (such as rail, ties, and safety systems). The credit applies to expenditures made after December 2024, with annual limits of $5,000 per mile of track owned and $2 million per project. Unused credits can be carried forward for up to five years, and credits may be transferred to other businesses subject to Wisconsin taxes.

AB 619 creates a $150 million grant program to fund aviation biofuel manufacturing projects in Wisconsin, funded through state public debt issuance. The bill requires grantees to use facilities exclusively for aviation biofuel production (with limited exceptions for other biofuels if 80% of output is aviation fuel), source 80% of biomass locally, and invest at least $1.5 billion in aviation biofuel manufacturing within five years. It directly affects companies building such facilities and the Department of Natural Resources, which administers the grants. The program aims to support the state's forest products industry and create jobs, with strict repayment terms if grantees fail to meet requirements.