January 10, 2020

Working for you!

Highway 15 Safety Updates

In response to concerns Rep. Steineke and I raised, the Department of Transportation initiated a safety study of Highway 15 between Hortonville and Greenville this past November. Today, the DOT announced they will be taking the following actions to improve Hwy 15 safety:

• Increasing State Patrol enforcement on WIS 15

• Placement of two Dynamic Speed Display Signs (DSDS)

• WIS 15 and County JJ intersection safety improvements

• Refreshing pavement marking

The DOT concluded that reducing the speed to 45 mph is not something that they will be implementing at this time; however, I will continue to discuss this option with DOT leaders, in addition any other options that will ensure the safety of our community on this critical highway.

DOT claims that a reduction in speed would not be effective, estimating that only ten percent of drivers would comply with the new limit; however, I completely disagree with their refusal to make this critical speed reduction. With an already increased law enforcement presence, I’m certain that reducing the speed limit would not only be complied with, but would save lives. Too many people have been killed on this stretch of road, and I don’t believe we should risk future lives based on DOT guessing that folks won’t follow the law.

You can read more about the DOT announcement here.

Wisconsin's Lowest Tax Burden in 50 Years

This week the Wisconsin Policy Forum issued a report that the tax burden, the measurement of state and local taxes as a share of income, dropped to the lowest level in 50 years! The percentage of income spent on local and state taxes dropped to just 10.4 percent in 2018. My Republican colleagues and I have saved taxpayers over $13 billion over the last decade, allowing you to keep more of what you’ve earned.  

Advancing Clean Water

This week, our bipartisan Water Quality Task Force released a package of bills to improve water quality across our entire state. Although I did not serve on the task force, I firmly believe that everyone deserves clean water and I will be reviewing the bills carefully to ensure they will make real and lasting improvements to our water before I sign on.

CESA 6 Award

Neenah Joint School District Superintendent Mary Pfeiffer presented me with the CESA 6 Smart Thinking recognition for engaging in dialogue with school stakeholders. I enjoy working with our school professionals on behalf of our children.

Committee Meetings

The Assembly Committee on Health met for a public hearing on Tuesday this week. You can watch the full hearing online by clicking on the image above.

Also on Tuesday, the Assembly Committee on Housing and Real Estate held a public hearing. You can watch the full hearing online by clicking on the image above.

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.