August 28, 2015

Working for you!

Great News Around Wisconsin!

This week, I want to focus on some of the great news that has been reported about Wisconsin recently. Several stories below  highlight some of the excellent work that our schools, universities, and businesses are doing, and how our reforms continue to move Wisconsin forward!

Oshkosh Corp. and Greenville Company Win Major Military Contracts

• Oshkosh Corp. won a $6.75 billion contract, which could increase to $30 billion depending on the final number of vehicles produced. Oshkosh Corp. will build the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle to replace the Humvee. This will have ripple effects across the state and support thousands of jobs in Wisconsin for years to come. Read the full story: click here.

• A Greenville Company, Allied Mechanical, won a $9.9 million contract to make 500-pound practice bombs for the United State Air Force. Read the full story: click here.

State Tax Collections Exceed Estimates

• The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau released the 2014-2015 General Fund Tax Collections that show the state collected an additional $71.4 million above the original estimate. The largest contributor to the higher than estimated revenues were Corporate Income and Franchise Taxes which came in 7.5% ($69.9 million) higher than expected. Read the full memo: click here.

Wisconsin in Top 10 States for Monthly Job Growth and 2nd in Midwest

• From June to July of 2015, Wisconsin gained 8,200 private-sector jobs. This rate of growth is 2nd in the Midwest and the 10th highest in the nation. The unemployment rate for Wisconsin stood at 4.6% which is far below the national rate of 5.3%. Another highlight from the report shows that Unemployment Insurance Claims for the first 32 weeks of 2015 are at the lowest point ever since 1990. Read the full story: click here.

Wisconsin and Fox Cities' ACT Scores Ranked High

• The Wisconsin Class of 2014's ACT scores, which is a test to measure college readiness, ranked 2nd highest in the country. Read the full story: click here.

• Students in the Fox Cities, especially the 56th District, scored well on the ACT exam. Students from Hortonville, Appleton, Fox Valley Lutheran High School, and other schools in the Fox Cities scored better and are more college-ready than their peers statewide. Read the full story: click here.

UW-Madison Receives Large Donation and Ranks High Internationally

• American Family Insurance has pledged $40 million over the next 10 years that will go towards academics, internships, research, and athletics. These partnerships between the private sector and our flagship university, and all other UW institutions, are critical to the future of the state. Read the full story: click here.

• In a ranking of 1,200 universities around the world, UW-Madison ranked 24th for a second year in a row, which is the second highest ranking achieved by a Big Ten school. Read the full story: click here.

Abortions in Wisconsin Drop 10% in 2014

• The number of abortions in Wisconsin continue to decline for the 6th consecutive year. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, there were 6,462 abortion in 2013, and a 10% drop to 5,800 in 2014. Read the full story: click here.

Visiting the Wisconsin Veterans Museum

(Photo L-R: Representative Murphy, Michael Telzrow, Director of the WI Veterans Museum)

I took some time this week to tour the Wisconsin Veterans Museum across the street from the Capitol. This was a great opportunity to learn about our servicemen and women, and veterans from Wisconsin. Each artifact in the museum has an amazing story behind it. One of my favorites was a flag that a Wisconsin regiment flew in the battle of Gettysburg.

I also learned that the staff at the museum can assist you in researching a family member if they are a Wisconsin veteran, and that you can donate personal items from Wisconsin veterans to the museum's collection. If you are interested in visiting the museum or utilizing their services, I highly recommend that you visit their web site by clicking here.