December 7, 2020

Working for you!

A Symbol of Hope for All of Us

I recently joined my colleagues Rep. Tittl, Rep. Sortwell, and Wichgers in decorating the Christmas tree they have placed in our State Capitol.

For over a century, throughout wars, economic depression, and the scourge of disease, the people of Wisconsin have had symbol of hope in a Christmas tree in the center of the Capitol with ornaments created by children throughout the state. While this year, the governor closed the Capitol and declined to put up a Christmas tree (or holiday tree as he demands calling it), my colleagues applied for a permit to put up their own small tree in order to maintain this longstanding tradition. The permit was denied on the basis that displays were not allowed where the tree is usually present, and when pressed, an Evers’ administration assistant deputy secretary, stated that the Department of Administration owns the building. Unlike the governor’s staff, my colleagues and I know that the people of Wisconsin own the Capitol and I’m thankful that Reps. Tittl and Sortwell defied the administration to put up a Christmas tree for the people of our state right where it belongs.

It's Our Duty to Scrutinize Elections

I’ve received thousands and thousands of messages from people concerned about the Wisconsin presidential election. While most people have expressed concern that rampant fraud may have been carried out right under our noses and that the reliability of future election results are in doubt, some have shared the view that they believe the legislature’s committee on campaigns and elections investigation of the election process is a sham. It saddens and frustrates me that even some my Democrat colleagues in the legislature are claiming that investigating the conduct of an election after the fact weakens our democratic institutions and these are the same individuals who called for scurrilous and unfounded investigations of President Trump colluding with Russia to fix the 2016 election. My colleagues and I are sworn to uphold the Constitution and laws of our state and nation. When people are uncertain about the reliability of our elections, it is our duty to conduct a full investigation.

The press has done a great deal of damage by spending the last four years calling into question the 2016 election and now anointing a president-elect before any candidate has conceded or the Electoral College has voted. The inconsistent standards applied by the media to determine the reliability of elections has unsurprisingly cost the media the public’s trust. The media has a great deal of fact checking and quality reporting to do before it once again earns the confidence to declare a winner of a presidential election.

Until the public can trust the press, holders of public office like myself must provide the public with detailed evidence to demonstrate how our elections were conducted. A thorough and serious investigation of the election is warranted and  necessary for the future stability of our nation.

COVID Relief

For months, the legislature has been hard at work communicating with members of the public to address critical needs brought on the current public health emergency. As federal CARES Act funds and previous provisions adopted by the legislature in spring are about to expire, Assembly Republicans are proposing a new COVID relief package to aid Wisconsin. Our proposal would:

• Create a $100 million fund to respond to the public health emergency
• Double the number of local public health staff working on the COVID-19 response
• Offer weekly rapid antigen tests for home use
• Continue the prohibition of co-payments for any COVID-19 tests
• Establish legislative oversight of vaccine distribution plan
• Provide guidelines for state employees to return to work
• Reauthorize state employee transfers
• Establish limited liability for schools, businesses and local governments
• Allow for an essential family member/caregiver to visit a loved one in nursing homes in specific circumstances
• Re-establish personal electronic computing device grants for schools ($9 million)
• Require teacher instruction from school buildings by end of January, with specific medical exceptions
• Require school board approval of virtual instruction by two-thirds vote of the board
• Provide payments to parents of $371 (half of the per pupil aid increase for the year) for students who have had at least 50% virtual instruction since September
• Allow health service providers from other states to practice in Wisconsin
• Require UW System to provide credit to students who assist in the COVID-19 response
• Create business grants for the hospitality industry
• Require the Department of Workforce Development to eliminate the backlog of unemployment insurance claims

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Upholding Foxconn's Commitment to Wisconsin

On Friday, I visited the Foxconn facility in Wisconsin to get an update on their continuing expansion in our state.

The factory there is in operation with two shifts already in place and moving to three. While during the covid pandemic it has been difficult for them to meet agreed upon benchmarks to earn tax credits, they are a major contributor to current and long-term economic growth in our state. Thankfully we have a solid contract that allows Wisconsin to benefit from this growth without having to pay for benchmarks that haven’t yet been achieved. I’ll continue to pay close attention to Foxconn’s contribution to our state and report back to you on their progress.

Thankful for Peace Around Our Capitol

With colder weather creeping in and violent riots in Madison having dissipated, the facilities staff at the State Capitol building were finally able to take down the plywood protecting ground floor windows. It’s heartwarming to see the People’s house restored to its pre-protest beauty.

While the state admonished people for gathering with relatives for Thanksgiving, I've seen nothing from state officials about the spread of COVID among protestors.

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

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.