Stay Up To Date |
State law prohibits state legislative offices from sending out 50
or more of the same communication to constituents after
April 15th in election years. That means this will be my last non-public emergency
related e-update to you until after the general election in
November. In order to keep receiving updates from my office,
please follow
me here.
Even though we
can't continue to send out our regular weekly emails, my staff
and I are still hard at work vetting ideas for future
legislation, holding state agencies accountable, and most
importantly, helping constituents like you whenever you need
assistance.
In these trying
times, it’s more important than ever to keep in touch with your
local officials. That’s why I’m asking you to
follow my
Facebook page, where I’ll be posting regular updates about
the ongoing public emergency and how we are responding to it. Also,
never hesitate to reach out personally. I always appreciate
hearing from you!
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A Bipartisan Effort |
Over the past few weeks we in the
legislature have been hard at work to pull together a bipartisan
bill to fill the gaps left by federal legislation and address
the current emergency in Wisconsin. Together, we have reached a
deal that is aimed at addressing health care concerns and
significant unemployment issues without spending state funds
down or providing the governor with the power to extend the
emergency past April 24th without legislative
consent.
Some highlights of the bill are that it:
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Eliminates the one-week waiting period
for unemployment insurance benefits, retroactively to claims
made after March 12 and through February 7, 2021
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Allows Wisconsin to capture more
Medicaid dollars from the federal government
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Eases licensing requirements for health
care professionals and emergency medical responders
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Prohibits Wisconsin from requiring
nurse aide instruction in excess of the federal
requirements. These unnecessary requirements have kept
nurses from entering their field of work in a timely manner
and made it hard for Wisconsin to keep up with our need for
nurses. Although we passed this provision earlier in the
session with bipartisan support, the governor vetoed it. Due
to the overwhelming need for nurses right now and in the
future, I’m hopeful the governor will change his mind on
this issue.
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Allows pharmacists to use their
personal judgement to extend prescriptions when necessary up
to 90 days
-
Expands SeniorCare to include coverage
of vaccinations
-
Ensures no co-pays for COVID-19 testing
-
Prohibits health insurance coverage
discrimination based on COVID-19
-
Provides the needed flexibilities to
school districts to complete the school year online
-
Requires the Wisconsin Economic
Development Corporation to develop a plan to assist the
state’s main industries of tourism, agriculture,
manufacturing, construction and retail
-
Requires the Wisconsin Department of
Health Services to ensure there is a dashboard that the
public can access to view the actual data the state is
utilizing to make public health decisions. Such a database
has recently been created by the Wisconsin Hospital
Association and can be viewed by clicking the image below:
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COVID-19 Guidance and
Assistance |
Help is available if you are in need.
You can’t control whether you lose your job
or your benefits because of the Coronavirus. However, you can
take steps to protect yourself in case you wind up without
health insurance during the pandemic. If you have lost coverage
(or fear that you might), you have options! Call
920-882-6420 or dial United Way’s 2-1-1 for free help.
Below are additional resources:
Unemployment and Job Opportunities
Small Businesses
Financial Resources
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It's Tornado and Severe
Weather Awareness Week |
On Thursday, April 16, 2020, ReadyWisconsin
and its partners will participate in a "Virtual" Tornado Drill.
There will be no alerts on NOAA Weather Radios or on your TV.
Instead, you may see messages on social media from
ReadyWisconsin, the National Weather Service, and Wisconsin
Broadcasters across the state reminding you about tornado
safety.
During this time, we encourage you to spend
15 minutes talking with your family about your plans at home for
taking shelter when a tornado warning is issued for your area.
You can also discuss how you will receive alerts about
approaching severe weather and what you should after the storm
has passed.
Find tips on how to make your plan at
https://readywisconsin.wi.gov/be-informed/tornado/ |
Tools of the Trade |
Ascendium recently awarded $300,000 in
new
Tools of the Trade scholarships to 200 construction and
industrial trades apprentices with financial need. Now in its
seventh year, Ascendium’s Tools of the Trade program has
provided nearly $1.5 million in scholarships to hardworking
Wisconsin apprentices.
Recipients use their $1,500 scholarships to
buy tools, clothing and equipment needed for their trades.
Easing their financial burden has proven remarkably effective at
helping more apprentices stay on the path to a rewarding career.
Since the program began, 95% of scholarship recipients have
either completed or continued their training the following
semester.
I’ve long been an advocate for this
scholarship. This session I introduced a
bipartisan bill to expand the program.
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Congratulations to Newly
Elected Local Officials |
With the announcement of the spring
election results, the Fox Valley will be gaining many new
local leaders. Congratulations to the winners who will soon
be sworn in and I commend all the candidates who put
themselves out there to do public service. You can view the official
results of local elections by visiting:
Here for Outagamie County Local Election Results
Here for Winnebago County Local Election Results
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Thank you! |
Since this is my last regular e-update of the
legislative session until after the November election, I wanted
to take the opportunity to once again thank you for the
privilege of serving you as your state representative. It is an
honor to perform this duty to our community and I can’t thank
you enough for all of your questions, comments, thanks, and yes,
even complaints that you bring to my office and me. Together, we
make democracy work and I’m proud to have such engaged
constituents.
Until November, please stay in touch by
following my
posts on my official Facebook page.
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"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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