E-Update: Shoreland Zoning & Social Media Censorship
This week, I was in Madison to attend a public hearing in the Senate for one of my bills, Senate Bill 387, which would make changes to county shoreland zoning ordinances relating to fences near public highways. The Assembly companion bill (AB 387) received a public hearing a couple weeks ago...
E-Update: Honoring EMTs & GI Bill Changes
This week, I had the opportunity to honor one of our dedicated volunteer Emergency Responders up in the Townsend and Lakewood area. Carla Van Camp is one of the many dedicated EMTs in our district who has given years of her life to help care for and serve her community...
E-Update: Governor Signs Budget & Republican Tax Cut
I'm pleased to share that this week, the state budget has been signed into law as 2021 Wisconsin Act 58 after being passed by both the Assembly and Senate with a historic bipartisan vote. It received 64 votes in the Assembly and 23 in the Senate, marking the most votes in favor of a state budget...
E-Update: 4th of July & Budget Survey Results
Benjamin Franklin once said "Where liberty dwells, there is my country," and I believe that is as true then as it is now. This year marks 245 years of American Independence, so however you celebrate, keep in mind those that came before as you enjoy the liberty and freedom you have today...
E-Update: Budget Vote & Minimum Wage
The Joint Finance Committee (JFC) has recently finished their work on revising the Governor's 2021-23 budget proposal, and the amended budget is heading for an Assembly vote this coming Tuesday, June 29th. With each state budget, the version introduced by the Governor always looks different than...
E-Update: Historic Middle Class Tax Cut & School Funding
For the past decade, we have passed responsible budgets with the goal of reducing the tax burden on Wisconsin citizens. Earlier this week, after the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau reported that Wisconsin would see $4.4 billion more than expected in revenues, and so we decided that those...
E-Update: Road Funding & Electric Vehicle Sales
This week, the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) worked on transportation funding proposals to include in the budget. Our local and state roads play a major role in our communities and economy, so we have to make sure we are thinking of the big picture and how these funds will impact our communities...
E-Update: Latest Budget Update & Unemployment Audit
This week, the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) held an executive session to vote on a number of budget provisions. Each budget session, the JFC reviews budget provisions from the Governor’s budget, as well as motions submitted by legislators. The bipartisan committee reviews the provisions and...
E-Update: Joint Finance Update & UW COVID Policy
This week, the Joint Finance Committee met to work on a number of budget items in the K-12 funding section. Prior to the pandemic, state school aid was at historic levels. Now, federal Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds far exceed traditional state support dwarfing the...
E-Update: Tech Caucus & Length of Service Budget Motion
This week, the members of the Wisconsin Tech Caucus met for the first time. This caucus was created in 2020, and I'm proud to be one of the legislators serving in this group, which aims to work along bipartisan lines to bring ideas and information on technological innovation to the attention of...
E-Update: Assembly Session & Question of the Week
This week, the Assembly was in session and passed a number of bills to improve election integrity and protect children and seniors in Wisconsin. One of the election integrity bills addresses the issue of private organizations providing funding directly to local governments to help administer...
E-Update: Session & Online Budget Survey
This upcoming Tuesday, the Assembly will hold a floor session to vote on a number of important bills, including ones dealing with elder abuse, financial exploitation, and child protection. Making sure those who are most vulnerable to exploitation are protected by the law is something I think we...
E-Update: Committee Updates & Grant Opportunity
This week, I was in Madison for an Education Committee meeting. Following a public hearing and executive session, the committee had the chance to hear from the Department of Public Instruction and the Legislative Fiscal Bureau on the issue of school funding and the counting of students...
Special Notice: Paddlewheel Bill Hearing Announced
Last session, I'd worked with Rep. Murphy and Senator Jacque on a bill that would legalize the use of paddlewheel raffles for local fundraising events like meat raffles, as they currently are illegal. While unfortunately the bill did not get signed into law last session, because of the continued...
E-Update: Budget Hearings & Vetoed Relief Package
In my last e-update, I talked about the Relief Plan that the legislature passed which would provide transparency and requirements for how the Governor uses the discretionary funds given to Wisconsin under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The federal ARPA relief package provides $3.2 billion...
E-Update: Federal Relief & Holocaust Education
In a past e-update, I mentioned that the legislature passed the Truth in Spending Act, which would have created Legislative oversight of federal aid from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Sadly, Governor Evers vetoed the Truth in Spending Act, however Republicans have crafted a federal aid...
E-Update: Senate Hearings & Upcoming Budget Survey
This week was a busy week for committee meetings in Madison, and it definitely kept me on my feet around the building. In addition to regular hearings and executive sessions for committees I serve on, such as the Agriculture Committee and the Education Committee, a number of my bills also received p
E-Update: Bill Updates & Vaccine Expansion
Next week, three of the bills I've been working on this session will be having Public Hearings, where members of the public can share their thoughts and testimony on the proposals. These Public Hearings are an important part of the process, as they allow the committee members reviewing...
E-Update: Limiting Government Overreach & Listening Sessions
This week, the Assembly was in session on Tuesday to debate and vote on a number of important bills, including Senate Bill (SB) 183, which makes sure federal COVID-19 relief funds are properly accounted for and used responsibly. Under current law, the governor has sole discretion of spending of...
E-Update: Vote Recap & In-District Listening Sessions
The State Assembly was in session twice this week, and a number of great bills were brought forward and passed. The bills ranged from protecting Wisconsinites with pre-existing medical conditions to supporting our sporting heritage. A few of note include...
E-Update: Budget, Floor Session & More
With the budget work in full swing, legislators want to know your priorities for the state budget. To that end, the Joint Finance Committee (budget committee) is holding four committee listening sessions throughout the state. The Joint Finance Committee listening session schedule is...
E-Update: Vaccine & Unemployment Update
Finding information about the COVID-19 vaccine and figuring out what locations are offering vaccinations has been a challenge for many folks around the 36th Assembly District. I have been working with our counties and the DHS to help address shortcomings that have been brought up, and will...
E-Update: Modernizing the Unemployment System
Last week, the State Assembly unanimously passed a bill, Special Session Senate Bill 1, during special session that directs Governor Evers to modernize unemployment insurance (UI) information technology systems (IT). Unemployment delays have been causing troubles for folks all around Wisconsin...
E-Update: Budget Reflection & Small Business Support
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit folks hard, and while the federal Paycheck Protection Program loans have been able to help many local businesses, an issue has come up that's putting these local businesses in a difficult position. Last spring, the federal CARES Act created the Paycheck Protection...
E-Update: Mask Mandate & COVID Package Update
Yesterday, I joined my Assembly colleagues in Madison to continue our work on the COVID relief bill, Assembly Bill (AB) 1. The bill has taken some effort to get agreement between both the Assembly and Senate, but I do hope we've finally come to an agreement on its amendments. In our Assembly...
E-Update: Floor Session & COVID Vaccine Update
This week has been quite busy in the Legislature, with two Assembly floor sessions and some important issues up for debate and a vote. On Tuesday, the Assembly considered the COVID-19 Relief Bill, Assembly Bill (AB) 1, as amended by the Senate. My colleagues and I in the Assembly restored some...
E-Update: State of the State & Vaccines
This week, Governor Evers delivered the annual State of the State address, which was pre-recorded and delivered virtually to the Wisconsin Legislature. We've faced a lot of unique problems in Wisconsin recently as a result of the pandemic, and just last week I voted in favor of a new COVID-19....
E-Update: Inauguration & New COVID Bill
This Monday, I was sworn into office for another two year term at the start of the 105th Assembly Legislative Session. With COVID-19 still very much present in our state, I observed CDC social distancing guidance as I took the oath of office during the ceremony on Monday. I look forward to...
Representative Mursau Sworn into Office for Another Two-Year Term
Representative Jeff Mursau (R–Crivitz) was sworn into office for another two-year term in the 105th Wisconsin State Legislature. Rep. Mursau took the oath of office at a ceremony in the Assembly chambers Monday afternoon, which observed the CDC social distancing guidelines...