August 16, 2019

Working for you!

Health Committee Vets Dentistry and Birth Control Bills

On Wednesday, the Assembly Committee on Health held a public hearing on two bills, the first relating to the expansion of a scholarship program that aims to increase the number of rural dentists in Wisconsin and the second relating to allowing pharmacists to issue prescriptions for certain types of birth control prescription. You can watch the full hearing online by clicking on the image above.

UW Freedom of Expression Still a Work in Progress

UW System is currently in the process of revising two of its administrative rules in order to bring them into line with a Board of Regents policy protecting freedom of expression.

Board of Regents policies are amended with a majority vote at a single board meeting and do not have the force of law; however, administrative rules do have the force of law and are amended through a lengthy process that involves public hearings, review by the Governor’s Office, and a passive review process by the legislature’s Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR).

UWS 18 deals with conduct on university property and UWS 17 deals with the adjudication process for students who are accused of violating non-academic university rules.

UW System recently held a public hearing on the scope statement that highlights their intention to revise UWS 17, unfortunately very few people testified.

UW System is currently collecting written public feedback on the UWS 17 scope statement until Tuesday, August 20. I highly encourage anyone who believes UW System could do a better job protecting freedom of expression to submit written comments before the deadline.

UW System will begin drafting a revision to UWS 17 soon and hopes to wrap up the drafting process by February 2020 so the regents can hold a public hearing on it before they vote on the new rule in either March or April, after which the rule would go to the governor and legislature. The legislature does have the option to hold a hearing and full vote on the rule if it makes it to this stage.

This week Reps. Horlacher, Vos, and I also reintroduced a bill to implement important protections for freedom of expression on University of Wisconsin campuses.

Meeting Legislators from Around the Nation

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with legislators from around the country at the National Conference of State Legislatures in Nashville. I had a very productive time learning about how other states are handling critical issues such as marijuana taxation. Speaker Vos was also sworn in as the first Wisconsinite to lead this bipartisan organization as its new president.

The incomparable Dolly Parton offered the keynote address with Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to the bipartisan gathering of over 6,000 state legislators from across the country.

Hagedorn Officially Joins Supreme Court

On Wednesday, Justice Brian Hagedorn was invested as the newest justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. I’m excited to welcome such an honorable person to our judicial branch of government at the State Capitol.

A Wedding!

Congratulations to my Research Assistant Diane and her new husband John on their wedding just last week. Our district is very fortunate to have someone as dedicated as Diane working for us and I wish her and John all the happiness in the world as they begin their lives as a newly married couple.

Your Questions and Concerns

Constituents from across the district have written to me this week about firearms. Many folks have asked me to uphold our Second Amendment rights and many others have asked me to push for increased gun control. Here are my thoughts on the matter:

I believe there is a great deal we can do to reduce violent tragedies across the nation, and continue to keep them rare in Wisconsin, without infringing on the rights of our law abiding citizens. Big government blanket solutions, like those proposed by my colleagues across the aisle, would have limited positive impact while disproportionately harming minority gun owners who have just as much right to bear arms as any other American.

My Republican colleagues and I are focused on common sense solutions that get to the root of the problem by focusing on mental health and public vigilance. Public safety is the responsibility of every citizen and relying on big government to ban or confiscate weapons will never be a lasting solution.

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.