August 30, 2019

Working for you!

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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

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.