Madison – SB35, authored by Sen. JesseJames (R- Altoona) and Rep.Loren Oldenburg (R-Viroqua), was passed unanimously on the Senate floor today.
SB35 creates an opt-in feature with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to allow drivers to add an emergency contact to their profile, either online or in-person at any DMV. The information will be able to be accessed by law enforcement to locate family members or friends in the event of an emergency.
Senator James commented on the passage: “This feature will help law enforcement reach an emergency contact, if one is listed, quickly when it matters most. This will help us as officers obtain answers to questions we may have when it comes to life and death situations.”
The bill was inspired in part by Christine Olson, a Milwaukee native who worked to see similar legislation put in place in Florida and 15 other states. In 2005, Christine was resting at home when her daughter Tiffany was killed in a motorcycle accident. Christine did not know for 6 hours that an emergency had occurred, and no one was available to inform her about the location of her daughter.
Sen. James concluded, “Christine shared with my office that no family should have to face the added pain and confusion that she went through. We agree, and want to do that we can to help Wisconsinites in their time of need. I want to thank Rep. Oldenburg for bringing this legislation to my attention, and we look forward to getting it signed into law.”
You can read Christine’s story at www.toinformfamiliesfirst.org.
