No, you haven’t stepped into “The Twilight Zone.” Under current Wisconsin law, collision repairers in the Badger State risk a maximum $10,000 fine and/or six years in prison if they remove and replace VIN decals from vehicles.

However, that might be about to change.

A bill under consideration in the Wisconsin Senate proposes to make an exception for anyone removing and replacing a VIN label “if the removal and replacement is reasonably necessary for the repair.” Currently, the exception only applies to scrap dealers.

On May 12, the Wisconsin Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety voted 5-0 to recommend passage of Senate Bill 90.

In his testimony at a May 9 committee hearing, State Sen. Robert Knowles said the current Wisconsin law “impedes the ability for auto body shop staff to complete repairs in a timely and cost-efficient manner.”

“Repairing damaged vehicles is already a difficult and frustrating job, and the current law on vehicle data labels only makes their job harder,” Knowles said.

He offered several examples, one of which is when body shops need to repaint a door. He said removing and replacing the VIN labels inside the door is easier than taping the labels, and makes for a “cleaner finished repair job.”

“SB 90 will help remove some of the hurdles auto body repair shops face to conduct their business,” Knowles said. “Removing these burdens and allowing for flexibility for our local auto body repair owners will hopefully help get our vehicles on the roads in a timelier and more cost-efficient manner.”