Lawmaker says DOT should stop printing Wisconsin highway maps

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A state lawmaker says the Department of Transportation should end the long-time practice of printing Wisconsin highway maps, which legislators give out for free.

Sen. Rob Cowles, R-Green Bay, says government should not compete with the private sector which often charges for the road maps it distributes.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says legislators have given out 1.4 million DOT road maps since 2005, at a cost of $190,000.

Lawmakers get 500 a year, but they can ask for more.

And they plaster them with their names, photos, and addresses.

Legislators are not allowed to give them out after June first of an election year. But watchdog groups say the maps are still free advertising for incumbents, in an era when campaigns never end.

Democratic Assembly Majority Leader Tom Nelson of Kaukauna has given out the most road maps – more than 76,000 since 2005.

He says the maps are the centerpiece of his door-to-door visits with constituents. Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, says people love the state maps.

She says folks in her district pay a ton of taxes and don’t get a lot of services and they find the maps useful and helpful.

Tags: highway maps, department of transportation, wisconsin, printing, politicians