May 10, 2019

Working for you!

Highway 15

I’ve been working hard to secure funding for safety improvements to Highway 15, meeting with both Governors Walker and Evers on this issue to push the project forward.

Following yesterday’s tragic accident, I met with members of the governor’s office and the Department of Transportation to reaffirm my support for moving this project along in an expedient way. I appreciate that the governor has included dollars in his budget to move the project forward and plan to continue working to persuade my legislative colleagues that this vital project needs additional support.

Eliminating Evers' Excesses

After any governor introduces their version of the budget, it moves next to the legislature (specifically the Joint Finance Committee), where the people of Wisconsin have the opportunity for their local representatives to weigh in on what to keep, what to remove, and what to add. No governor’s proposed budget, Republican or Democratic, has moved through this process without significant changes from the legislature. This important check on executive power ensures that everyone gets a say in the budget process, and not just the majority of the people who live in Madison and Milwaukee.

The Joint Finance Committee began the process of legislative review by removing non-fiscal policy proposals from the governor’s budget bill. The full list of items removed can be read online here. Any of these non-budget proposals can be brought forward in a separate bill; however, since they aren’t related to the financial position of our state, they don’t belong in the biennial budget bill. The committee also took the prudent action of removing certain fiscal items that would move the state backward, such as acceptance of federal medicaid expansion funding (with all the strings attached that will hurt patients, doctors, and our health care infrastructure).

There’s still time to take my spring survey. Click on the button below to fill it out online now.

Protecting the Most Vulnerable

This week the Assembly Committee on Health debated and recommended bills related to preserving the lives of the most vulnerable, specifically directed at prohibiting abortions in order to weed out characteristics of a child, such as sexual orientation or gender. I was appalled at the Democratic opposition to such a common sense proposal.

Click on the image above to see my impassioned plea to my Democratic colleagues to stand up for what’s right and push back against the most extreme members of their party, who wish to see “choice,” extended until after a child is already born.

Holding Higher Ed Accountable

Thursday, as chair of the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities, I called an informational hearing on the state budget as it relates to the University of Wisconsin System, the Wisconsin Technical Colleges System, and the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Presidents Ray Cross (UWS), Morna Foy (WTCS), and Rolf Wegenke (WAICU) had the opportunity to present their budget proposals to the committee and answer questions from committee members. Despite excesses in many areas, I was disappointed to see a lack of funding in the governor’s budget for workforce development in higher education and no additional performance based funding.

This week the non-partisan Legislative Audit Bureau also issued a report that demonstrates UW System is a mixed bag in which some campuses are clearly applying the best financial practices, while others still have a long way to go.

The report raises important questions about implementation of previous audit recommendations, particularly those related to UW institutions’ relationships with outside organizations, which were brought to light by illegal activity at UW-Oshkosh involving their foundation.

I’m looking forward to hearing more from the auditors and UW leaders about progress being made to responsibly manage funds collected from students and taxpayers.

Above all, my hope is to restore the public’s faith in how money is being spent by our universities.

New Legislation

Here is the legislation I've authored or co-sponsored since my last update. Click on the links to learn more about each bill or resolution:

Assembly Bill 200
Sales and use tax exemptions for precious metals and cryptocurrency.

Assembly Joint Resolution 39
Proclaiming May 2019 as Paper and Forestry Products Month in Wisconsin.

Assembly Joint Resolution 35
Proclaiming May 2019 as Lyme Disease Awareness Month.

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.