MADISON — On Nov. 7, the Wisconsin State Senate passed a bill, 2023 Senate Bill 223, authored by a bipartisan coalition of local legislators to designate the Corporal Benjamin H. Neal Memorial Highway. 

“I am very proud that this important bill passed the State Senate with overwhelming support today,” said Senator Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit). “I am deeply grateful to the bipartisan group of local legislators who have come together to champion this bill — Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater), Rep. Ellen Schutt (R-Clinton), Rep. Clinton Anderson (D-Beloit), and Rep. Jenna Jacobson (D-Oregon). 

Senate Bill 223 would rename Wis. 11 between Orfordville and Footville as the Corporal Benjamin H. Neal Memorial Highway. Corporal Neal graduated from Parkview High School, joined the U.S. Army in June 2009, and was killed in action on his second deployment in 2012 in Afghanistan. 

Corporal Neal received many military honors — including the Purple Heart, NATO Medal, and Bronze Star.

“But most of all, was an extraordinary and beloved family member, friend, and neighbor,” Spreitzer said. “Corporal Neal’s death shocked his hometown of Orfordville, which had only seen three prior combat deaths. The Wells-Davis-Young-Neal American Legion Post in Orfordville is named after all four local heroes, and renaming Highway 11 in Corporal Neal’s honor will ensure that his story and sacrifice are never forgotten.

The bill now awaits a vote in the State Assembly.