September 1, 2017

Working for you!

Public Hearing on Sturgeon Bill

On Wednesday, the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage held a public hearing on my bill to annually raffle off five Upriver Lakes lake sturgeon spearing certificates called “Governor’s Tags.” You can learn more about my bill and track its progress here.

You can watch the hearing on WisconsinEye by clicking here.

I'd like to thank Matt Woods and Jim from Sturgeon for Tomorrow, for helping draft the bill and coming down from Oshkosh to testify in favor it.

Richmond Street Roundabout Opens Today

The new WIS 47 (Richmond Street) and County OO (Northland Avenue) intersection in Appleton opened to traffic today. The intersection has been closed since June 19, 2017, for construction of a multi-lane roundabout. The project also added separate, right-turn lanes on Mason Street at the County OO intersection, upgraded traffic signals at the County OO intersections with Mason Street, West Service Road and Bennett Street, and repaved County OO.

Doubling Our Federal Transportation Redistribution

The Department of Transportation has secured $66.4 million in redistribution aid from the federal government -- a record amount that is nearly double the $34 million we have received for the past five years. The funds from the Federal Highway Administration come from previously allocated grants unspent by other states.

Wisconsin has long deserved this additional funding and it goes a long way to getting us back on track to improving the safety and conditions of roads like I-41 on the north side of Appleton.

Investing in Our Children's Future

On Monday, the Joint Finance Committee voted to adopt our plan to increase K-12 by $639 million in the state budget. The funding will allow school districts to get at least $9,300 per student each year from the state (up from the current $9,100). Additionally, this model will increase by $100 per year until the level reaches a minimum of $9,800 per student across the state. You can read more about the education plan approved by the committee here.

 The Joint Finance Committee plans to finish their actions on the budget next week, allowing the State Assembly to debate and vote on the budget the week of Sept. 10.

Archery and Crossbow Deer Season

September 16^th kicks off the 2017 archery and crossbow deer seasons in Wisconsin!

Licenses can still be purchased through the Go Wild website, or at any of the more than 1,000 Go Wild license sales locations.  Hunters are encouraged to check out the DNR’s frequently asked questions page for information regarding changes for the 2017 deer hunting season.

Exporting Wisconsin Quality Around the World

Wisconsin is leading the nation in exports of a wide variety of products, including butter, prepared/preserved cranberries, prepared/preserved sweet corn, bicycles, firefighting vehicles, military vehicles, outboard and inboard marine engines, fur skins, ginseng roots, and bovine genetics.

The Grass is Greener on the Wisconsin Side

The Wisconsin Department of Revenue is reporting that Wisconsin counties have an edge in unemployment rates compared to their cross-border counterparts. The map below shows that the unemployment rates in Wisconsin counties are lower than their neighboring border counties. These rates are the May 2017 unemployment rates unadjusted.

Wisconsin's unemployment rate as of July 2017 was 3.2%. This rate puts Wisconsin in the top tier of states that have a rate of 3.4% and lower.

Appleton's Octoberfest

Hundreds of classic cars, live music, family arts and crafts, great food, and tens of thousands of people are gathered together to for one of the best Wisconsin events of the year: Appleton’s Octoberfest!

Check out other upcoming events near us by visiting the Wisconsin Tourism website, 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

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.