February 16, 2018

Working for you!

Gulfstream Expansion

I was proud to join Gulfstream Aerospace today for their announcement of a $40 million, 180,000 square foot expansion to their Appleton International Airport site. This new service center will increase their capacity by 10-12 planes at a time and generate 200 long-term jobs, bringing their number of employees to over 1,000 locally. Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation designs, manufactures, and services business jet aircraft. Construction of the new facility will be accomplished by local companies: Boldt, OMNNI, and McMahon.

In addition to the approximately 200 jobs being created by Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, 13 other northeastern Wisconsin companies announced plans in 2017 to create nearly 1,500 jobs in the region.

The new service facility, depicted above, will be located at the Appleton International Airport.

Rep. Hintz, Rep. Rohrkaste, Sen. Roth and I joined the Gulfstream interns for a photo at the announcement Friday.

State of the Tribes Address

Each year we have an opportunity to hear a special address regarding the state of Wisconsin's Native American tribes. This year Gary Besaw of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin gave the address. You can view the address by clicking on the image below:

Veteran In-state Tuition

Earlier this session, UW–Madison presented me with a problem their student-veterans were having. After receiving their undergraduate degree and getting accepted into graduate school, these out of state students found that they were no longer eligible for in-state tuition and would have to pay the increased non-resident rate.

Years ago, many states began offering veterans, and certain family members, in-state tuition. Although Wisconsin was one of these states, we accomplished it through university policy instead of law. This created an unfortunate gap when it came to veterans who go on to pursue a graduate degree.

I've drafted legislation to keep these students in our state. Three categories of individuals are eligible for this benefit and would continue to be eligible into graduate school under our bill:

• Any veteran who enrolls in UW System within three years of discharge from a period of active duty service of 90 days or more.

• A spouse or child of the above who has had their federal benefits transferred to them.

• A spouse or child of a U.S. armed forces service member who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001.

Our bill fixes this gap in veteran benefits by designating those students who are recipients of federal veteran benefits as “covered individuals,” allowing them to continue to pay in-state tuition if they want to pursue a graduate education without needing to take a one-year break from school to establish state residency.

Supporting Paper Valley Jobs

Recently, Kimberly-Clark announced a global restructuring plan, which will affect 5,000 employees and close 10 plants around the world. The two manufacturing facilities affected in the Fox Valley make up 600 of those jobs. The company has said the Neenah Nonwovens factory will be shut down within 18 months and the Cold Spring plant in Fox Crossing hasn’t yet been determined.

Kimberly-Clark is the largest manufacturer in the Fox Cities. Ensuring that the company continues to have a manufacturing presence and retaining its skilled workforce is vital to the region and our state. Now we must do all we can to meet this challenge and keep these jobs in Wisconsin.

A bill that I have signed on to will do the following to protect these jobs:

• Authorize WEDC to certify Kimberly-Clark’s facilities in Neenah and Fox Crossing to be eligible for a 17% jobs tax credit for existing jobs and/or a 15% capital investment credit.

• The jobs tax credit certification could last for a maximum of 15 years. The credit may be claimed on jobs paying at least $30,000 annually, not exceeding $100,000 per job. To remain eligible, the employer must retain 93% of its full-time employees in the base year, both at the affected facilities and in the state.

• Create a sales and use tax exemption for building materials, supplies, and equipment used to construct or develop facilities for the capital investment.

• WEDC may seek repayment if the business fails to maintain employment levels or capital investment at the levels agreed upon in the contract. WEDC must revoke certification if the company provides false or misleading information or leaves the state and does not renew similar operations in the state within 12 months.

It's Fun to Visit with the YMCA

On Thursday, it was a pleasure to meet with advocates from the YMCA of the Fox Cities.

Saving for Long-term Care

A person who wants to fund their long term care needs faces a struggle. Many companies are discontinuing this service, premiums can drastically increase sometimes causing them to lose their coverage, and these policies can lack essential coverage. The ability to have savings for their own needs gives our aging citizens the security of having their own nest egg. Wisconsinites who have some of their own money at the ready will be less dependent on Medicaid.

When we began working on this bill, we wanted long term care savings accounts to be affordable and accessible.

AB 596 makes this process affordable.

• A Wisconsin resident over age 18 can open an account.

• There’s no income threshold.

• They can pay into the account as they are able.

AB 596 makes it accessible.

• There are no health criteria standards to setting up an account.

Ed-Vest was the model for this type of savings account. Like that program, this one allows people to invest in their own long term care account, administered by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Authorized parties including family members and friend can also contribute to an account. Once a medical professional deems an account holder meets the criteria of needing long term care, money can be withdrawn from the account and be exempt from taxation.

Account holders are required to spend the money in their account before they are qualified to apply for medical assistance. If there’s a balance after the account holder’s death, the balance can be transferred to a beneficiary for the purpose of using it as another long term care account.

Ingrid Thompson, long time advocate for our bill, is pictured testifying to our Health Committee.

Earned In-state Tuition

Wisconsin does a great job at holding on to our resident college graduates. Unfortunately, we lag behind other states when it comes to attracting workforce talent from elsewhere, commonly referred to as “brain gain.” Experts point to lower salaries, weather, and taxes as reasons why skilled young individuals do not come to or remain in Wisconsin after graduation. AB 888 provides a compelling financial incentive to remain in Wisconsin after graduation for non-resident graduates who are concerned about lower wages and higher taxes. This will help Wisconsin businesses fill the 90,000 job openings we currently have and address Wisconsin’s long-term need to increase our population.

Child Tax Credit

The Governor’s proposed child tax credit will be a huge boost for hard working families. My wife and I will not receive this particular tax credit, since all of our kids are grown. However, my son, my daughter, and others who have children will benefit. My wife and I have benefited from the income tax and property tax cuts over the past four years. I've worked hard to implement broad based tax cuts that improve the quality of life across Wisconsin and I think we all benefit when our state continues to be one of the best places in the nation to raise a family.

Making Welfare Work for Wisconsin

Unemployment is at a historic low and yet there are over 90,000 job openings in Wisconsin. There’s never been a better time to get into the workforce. That’s why now is the time for us to retool welfare into a program aimed at long term employment and success.

The goals of our Wisconsin Works for Everyone welfare reform package are to promote accountability, encourage personal responsibility, prevent fraud and abuse, and get people off government assistance and into the workforce.

Our reform package will expand the Foodshare Employment and Training Program, which has a proven success record of getting more than 25,000 people into the workforce.

WisConn Valley on the Web

A new website, wisconnvalley.wi.gov, has been developed to provide residents and businesses with the latest information about the Foxconn Technology Group’s historic investment in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) will also host an informational session in Appleton for construction contractors that will provide potential subcontractors, suppliers, and vendors with details on how they may be able to support the Foxconn construction project. Details on the meeting will be announced in the coming weeks.

The new website includes:

An overview of the Foxconn project, including details of the project and answers to some frequently asked questions;

Details on the Wisconsin Supply Chain Marketplace, which enables companies seeking to do business with Foxconn to register to get connected to the company;

Sign up to be notified of bidding opportunities as the project progresses under the public construction info signup page; and

Construction updates on the project itself, as well as nearby roads and highways.

The upcoming informational sessions for construction contractors will provide the latest details on the timetable for construction on both the Foxconn facility and the public infrastructure related to the project. The information provided at those meetings will be most relevant to businesses that could possibly support construction, including contractors and subcontractors, and companies providing related services and materials.

Anyone seeking to get regular updates on the Foxconn project is also invited to sign up for the Wisconn Valley News e-newsletter. To subscribe, visit WisconnValley.wi.gov/newsletter.

Time to Learn About Turkey Hunting

February and March is an ideal time to plan spring turkey Learn to Hunt events. For more information on upcoming Learn to Hunt events or hosting your own event, visit DNR’s Learn to Hunt webpage.

The 2018 Wisconsin Conservation Congress Spring Hearing questionnaire is now available online. Each county will host a public hearing on Monday, April 9^th where individuals interested in natural resources management will have an opportunity to provide input on local and statewide conservation issues.

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

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.