Senate Bill 551, introduced by Senator Marklein and co-sponsored by several representatives, aims to establish a process for marking the Mississippi River Trail in Wisconsin. The bill mandates that once the Department of Transportation (DOT) confirms that all municipalities along the Great River Road have passed resolutions supporting the trail and have identified a route, it must notify the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB). The LRB is then required to publish a notice in the administrative register indicating the date of this confirmation.

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that within 18 months of the notification date, the DOT must procure and install signs marking the Mississippi River Trail. Additionally, the DOT is allowed to request funding from the Joint Committee on Finance (JCF) to support the sign procurement and installation without needing to demonstrate that an emergency exists, as typically required. This provision aims to streamline the funding process for the trail signage initiative.