946.11 Special privileges from public utilities.
(1) Whoever does the following is guilty of a Class I felony:
(a) Whoever offers or gives for any purpose to any public officer or to any person at the request or for the advantage of such officer any free pass or frank, or any privilege withheld from any person, for the traveling accommodation or transportation of any person or property or for the transmission of any message or communication; or
(b) Any public officer who asks for or accepts from any person or uses in any manner or for any purpose any free pass or frank, or any privilege withheld from any person for the traveling accommodation or transportation of any person or property or for the transmission of any message or communication; or
(c) Any public utility or agent or officer thereof who offers or gives for any purpose to any public officer or to any person at the request or for the advantage of such officer, any frank or any privilege withheld from any person for any product or service produced, transmitted, delivered, furnished or rendered or to be produced, transmitted, delivered, furnished or rendered by any public utility, or any free product or service whatsoever; or
(d) Any public officer who asks for or accepts or uses in any manner or for any purpose any frank or privilege withheld from any person for any product or service produced, transmitted, delivered, furnished or rendered by any public utility.
(2) In this section:
(a) “Free pass" means any form of ticket or mileage entitling the holder to travel over any part of a railroad or other public transportation system and issued to the holder as a gift or in consideration or partial consideration of any service performed or to be performed by such holder, except that it does not include such ticket or mileage when issued to an employee of the railroad or public transportation system pursuant to a contract of employment and not in excess of the transportation rights of other employees of the same class and seniority, nor does it include free transportation to police officers or fire fighters when on duty.
(b) “Privilege" means anything of value not available to the general public, but does not include compensation or fringe benefits provided as a result of employment by a public utility to a regular employee or pensioner when the following conditions are satisfied:
1. The regular employee or pensioner is not compensated specifically for services performed for a purpose related to the election or nomination for election of an individual to state or local office, the recall from or retention in office of an individual holding a state or local office, or for the purpose of payment of expenses incurred as a result of a recount at an election.
2. The regular employee or pensioner is not compensated in excess of that provided to other regular employees or pensioners of like status.
(c) “Public utility" has the meaning designated in s. 196.01 (5) and includes a telecommunications carrier, as defined in s. 196.01 (8m).
(3) This section does not apply to notaries public and regular employees or pensioners of a railroad or other public utility who hold public offices for which the annual compensation is not more than $300 to whom no passes or privileges are extended beyond those which are extended to other regular employees or pensioners of such corporation.
History: 1975 c. 93; 1977 c. 173; 1985 a. 135; 1993 a. 496; 2001 a. 109; 2015 a. 117; 2017 a. 365 s. 111.