Driving skills test bill fails in Wisconsin Senate

A bill to waive Wisconsin's driving skills test requirement for new driver's licenses failed in the state Senate this session. The measure, aimed at easing access to licenses after a successful pilot program, did not advance and died pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, which set the 2025-2026 session schedule.[1][2][6]

The proposal built on a 2020-2021 Department of Transportation pilot that granted waivers to 48,100 drivers—about 85% of eligible applicants—who completed driver education, including 30 hours of classroom time and 50 hours of supervised driving. The waiver program ended for teens under 18 on December 31, 2023, requiring in-person road tests at DMV centers, where long wait times have frustrated families.[1][7] Earlier budget discussions in 2021 considered making waivers permanent with fees and restrictions, like barring those with recent violations, but no action followed.[1]

For Milwaukee residents, this means continued bottlenecks at DMV offices like those on the north side and in Walker's Point, delaying licenses for teens and new drivers amid busy schedules and public transit gaps.[3][7] Families relying on cars for work, school, or groceries in sprawling suburbs face added hurdles.

Lawmakers may revisit the issue in the next session, but for now, appointments can be booked up to 11 weeks ahead at wisconsindmv.gov to meet the in-person test mandate.[7]