In February, the Wisconsin Senate introduced a bill that would allow Wisconsin Driver License holders to upload their ID into their digital Apple Wallet and others.
The current program is permitted in 13 states across the U.S., including midwestern states such as Iowa, Ohio, and North Dakota. The Apple Wallet particularly, allows users to upload metropolitan transit cards and other debit and credit cards.
Senate Bill 63, is legislation for Wisconsin to join the Driver License Compact. If you are licensed in one member state and commit a major driving offense in another member state, your home state will treat the violation just as if it happened at home. That means suspensions, revocations, and other penalties will transfer across state lines.
The bill does not stipulate a requirement to start the digital drivers license issuance. However, there is opportunity provided for the Wisconsin DOT to implement the digital drivers license in the future.
International standards for “interoperability” are crucial for bringing the program to Wisconsin, the department said. The bill was introduced and cosponsored by eleven democrats and two republicans. (RELATED: Kaul Now Faces Familiar Opponent As His Record as AG comes under Scrutiny)
Holdouts likely are concerned about the privacy aspect of the bill. Earlier in the year, the Wisconsin DOT was found to be making millions of dollars from selling personal information of people through the Department Motor Vehicles (DMV).
While within the parameters of the Wisconsin Laws, they do not allow the selling of social security numbers and pictures. The DMV brought in $11 million dollars of revenue in 2024 from selling driver information records, or “driver abstracts.”
There is an opt out form on the bottom of DMV forms when applying for the license. There is also a form for individuals who already have their license that can be mailed to the DMV to remove the driver from their “selling lists.” (RELATED: Wisconsin Judge Unlawfully Joins Partisan Anti-Trump Protest)
