WI Revenues Stronger Than
Ever |
The groundwork laid by smart budgeting and
conservative policies has resulted in another round of state
revenue exceeding all expectations.
Wisconsin took in $75 million more than expected over the
previous year. Under current law, half of this surplus is
automatically deposited into the state’s rainy day funded, which
brings it to a record setting $649 million! It’s clear that the
over $8 billion in Wisconsin Republican tax cuts over the last
eight years are keeping the state economic engines running
better than ever.
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UW Admin Back in Court
for Misconduct |
On Thursday,
two former UW–Oshkosh administrators appeared in court
regarding the state’s criminal charges against them for
allegedly transferring millions of dollars of university money
to outside organizations.
While UW System has taken steps to improve
their accounting practices, the non-partisan Legislative Audit
Bureau recently found that
none of their recommended improvements were as of yet fully
implemented.
I’m looking forward to the day when UW
System can get out from this black cloud of mismanagement, which
is why
I have put forward critical legislation to ensure gaps in
appropriate oversight are closed.
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Bipartisan Support for
Murphy UW Bill |
On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on
Universities, Technical Colleges, Children and Families, voted
6-1 in favor of recommending my UW Research Contracts bill for
adoption.
This bipartisan bill was suggested by faculty members
engaged in research contracts with spin-off companies that bring
millions of dollars into the state economy.
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Adoption Task Force
Wraps Up Statewide Hearings |
On Wednesday, the Adoption Task Force I
serve on wrapped up our travels around the state with a hearing
in Richland Center. After hearing from folks across Wisconsin
we’re now preparing bipartisan legislation to make adoption
easier to navigate and affordable for families.
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Your Questions and Concerns |
Martha of Appleton asks:
Why are you reintroducing a UW freedom of expression bill?
I’ve read that there haven’t been any recent disruptions on
campuses.
I’ve also seen
unverified claims that free speech disruptions haven’t occurred
for years on UW campuses.
The problem with these claims is that UW
administrators don’t actively track these incidents on campuses
and students who do have their freedom of speech disrupted are
reluctant to report it because there is currently no enforceable
rule or law to ensure an investigation or even documentation of
a report. UW System is in the process of amending
their rules to bring them into line with Board of Regents policy
supporting freedom of expression, but it may be years before
those changes take effect.
I’ve been told by regents, students, and
faculty that legislation protecting freedom of expression is
still critical. Not only will legislation send an important
signal to the entire university community that freedom of
expression is highly valued and actively protected, but it will
give the university and the public the necessary tools to uphold
freedom of expression to its fullest extent under the law on our
public university campuses, whereas current policy isn’t really
enforceable and doesn’t track incidences of disruption on
campus.
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Upcoming Events |
Check out upcoming events near us by visiting the
Wisconsin Tourism website or
https://appletondowntown.org/upcoming-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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