The Office of the Commissioner of Railroads is the independent regulatory agency responsible for regulating
railroads
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...
located in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
.
The commissioner was originally much involved in fare setting for the railroads in Wisconsin. The Office of the Commissioner of Railroads is now largely focused on issues of safety. It is the state agency with primary responsibility for making determinations of the adequacy of warning devices at railroad crossings, along with other railroad related regulations. These duties include:
*Installation of new highway/rail crossings
*Alteration of existing crossings
*Closing or consolidating existing crossings
*Repair of rough crossings
*Determining adequate railroad fences and
*Exemptions from railroad track clearance laws
The commissioner's office consists of one full-time commissioner appointed by the
governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
and confirmed by the
Wisconsin State Senate
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...
for a six-year term. The current commissioner is
Don Vruwink. The commissioner is assisted by a staff of four, as of January 29, 2021.
History
Wisconsin regulation of railroads began with the 1874 passage of the "Potter Law" ("An act relating to Railroads, Express and Telegraph Companies in the State of Wisconsin," later Chapter 273 of the laws of 1874)
regulating the
freight
In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in ...
rates charged by railroads, a central concern of the
Grangers movement. The bill was introduced by
Republican State Senator
A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.
History
There are typically fewer state senators than there ...
Robert L. D. Potter and passed with the support of
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
William Robert Taylor
William Robert Taylor (July 10, 1820March 17, 1909) was an American politician and the 12th governor of Wisconsin from 1874 to 1876.
Early life
Taylor was born in Woodbury, Connecticut. He was orphaned at age 6 when his father's ship was lost a ...
's
coalition
A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces.
Formation
According to ''A G ...
of
Democrats (such as
George Howard Paul),
reform
Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...
Republicans, and Grangers (the "Reform party"), which had secured the election of Taylor as governor in 1873. The Board of Railroad Commissioners thus created consisted of three commissioners:
John Wesley Hoyt, George Howard Paul, and J. H. Osborn.
When the law was challenged by powerful interests led by politician, financier and railroad owner
Alexander Mitchell, a compromise with Mitchell was eventually worked out; but the reform coalition was nonetheless defeated in the 1875 election and the Potter Law was repealed in favor of a much weaker substitute body.
Commissioners
Notes
External links
Wisconsin Railroad Commissioner's Website
{{authority control
State agencies of Wisconsin