Happy New Year |
As we continue to celebrate Christmas at
the Murphy household, I’m looking forward to the close of 2020
and all the promise that 2021 brings. There’s a lot of hard work
to do to get things back to normal, but I’m confident that
together we can get things back on the right path.
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An Honest Balanced Budget |
While Wisconsin is constitutionally
required to have balanced state budgets, it was a longstanding
practice for governors to inappropriately hide deficits by
shifting them from one fiscal year to another by using cash
basis accounting.
When Republicans took control of the state
budget in 2011, we inherited a nearly $3 billion annual budget
deficit based on Generally Accepted Accounted Principles (GAAP).
Thanks to our hard won reforms, Wisconsin will end this fiscal
year with a surplus $1.5 million, the first surplus in decades!
This responsible and more transparent
budgeting process means that unlike many other states, we are
making a deposit of $105.8 million into the state’s rainy day
fund, bringing the total to $761.8 million—the largest in
Wisconsin history.
This strong financial standing ensures
Wisconsin is well equipped to weather the economic storm created
by COVID-19 and business shutdowns imposed by the government.
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Wisconsin “Clears”
Unemployment Backlog |
After nine months, the governor has finally
begun to correct a problem of his own making by clearing the
enormous and nationally embarrassing unemployment insurance
backlog. My office has been fielding calls and assisting folks
forced onto unemployment insurance due to the state shutdown imposed by the Governor.
Throughout this crisis, I’ve personally
done all I could to push the Wisconsin Department of Workforce
Development (DWD) to process the claims of folks on the brink of
losing their homes and unable to put food on the table simply
because DWD couldn’t get its act together.
In September, when the governor finally
fired the DWD secretary, the backlog had reached over 100,000
claimants. While DWD claims the backlog is now cleared, there
are still over 5,000 individuals waiting for the state to
adjudicate their claim, a process a recent audit showed to be
deeply flawed.
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Caroling at the Capitol |
When the governor took down the second
Capitol Christmas tree, my colleagues and I decided to respond
with some Christmas cheer by putting up another tree decorated
with ornaments made by children around the state as we sang
carols in
the rotunda.
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Vaccination
Distribution |
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services
is now making data available about vaccine distribution in our
state. To see the most recent statistics, click on the image
above.
While I support broad access to the vaccine
and will be getting vaccinated as soon as it becomes available
to the general public, I do not support vaccine mandates of any
kind.
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Upcoming Events |
Check out upcoming events near us by visiting the
Wisconsin Tourism website,
https://appletondowntown.org/upcoming-events/, or
https://www.foxcities.org/events/
and if you run into me while
you’re out and about be sure to stop and say hi! |
"Like" Representative
Murphy's Facebook Page
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I have a Facebook page so I can continually engage with you on
important topics facing the state. Please like it by
clicking here! I use Facebook to update constituents more frequently on
my work in Madison and the 56th Assembly District. I look forward to
using this as another way to connect with constituents and encourage you to follow it and watch for
regular updates.
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"Like" Representative Murphy's
Official Facebook Page
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Welcome!
I live in Greenville, but have an
office at the State Capitol in Madison. If you are in
downtown Madison, please feel free to stop by and say
hello! Just go to the information desk in the rotunda,
and they can direct you on how to find my office, 318
North. At the bottom of each e-update, you'll see my
office contact information.
If your school or group plans to tour the Capitol
building, please let me know in advance. I'd
love to visit with you for a few minutes and take a
group photo.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
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