February 15, 2019

Working for you!

Your Tax Cut is Waiting for Evers' Signature

This week the State Assembly and Senate took action to keep our campaign promise and adopt a middle class tax cut. I urge you to contact the governor: ask him to sign the bill and join us in upholding the promise he made during his campaign. Call or email the governor today at: (608) 266-1212 EversInfo@wisconsin.gov

The tax cut I voted for is hyper-targeted to the middle and lower classes. It will provide over $300 to the average middle class family. This is a true tax cut, paid for with surplus state taxpayer revenue, instead of shifting the tax burden onto Wisconsin manufacturers and agriculture producers, which is the governor’s preferred model.

The Wisconsin Manufacturing and Agriculture Credit has been a great success, leading Wisconsin to be one of the nation’s leading states in manufacturing job creation. Manufacturing jobs have an enormous impact, creating more than four non-manufacturing jobs for everyone one new manufacturing position. Now is not the time to hamstring our economy by shifting the tax burden onto our best job creators.

We have a state surplus because of a low unemployment rate. Having more taxpayers in the workforce allows us to lower the tax burden without slowing economic growth. We found a way to fund a middle-class tax cut without harming the economy that the middle class depends on. I hope Governor Evers can find common ground with us in supporting this common sense tax cut.

Call or email the governor today and ask him to sign the bill: (608) 266-1212 EversInfo@wisconsin.gov

Educators Silencing Speech

UW System is in the 2019 top ten worst colleges for free speech, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). This embarrassing title was earned the same week as the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed for summary judgement in the campus free speech case against Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC), in which student Polly Olsen has been unconstitutionally barred from peacefully distributing religiously-themed Valentines on campus.

Clearly, we have a long way to go to ensure that freedom of expression is protected at our colleges and universities. As chair of the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities, I won’t give up the fight to protect this constitutional right so necessary to earning and well-rounded college education.

New Legislation

Divided government doesn’t mean that work comes to a halt in Wisconsin. I’m busier than ever working on legislation to help our community and the people of Wisconsin prosper. Here are the bills I’ve authored or co-sponsored so far. Click on the links to learn more about each bill:

Assembly Bill 22
Driver education instruction on human trafficking.

Assembly Bill 20
Terminology changes for those with an intellectual disability in administrative rules.

Assembly Bill 18
Penalties for offenses related to operating a vehicle while intoxicated and providing a penalty.

Assembly Bill 17
Mandatory period of confinement for homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and providing a penalty.

Assembly Bill 13
Workforce training grants for seminars in high-demand fields to teach new skills and provide micro-credentials and making an appropriation.

Assembly Bill 9
Designating and marking a highway interchange in Winnebago County as the Michael G. Ellis Memorial Interchange.

Assembly Bill 7
The intoxicated operation of snowmobiles.

Assembly Bill 5
Classifying county jailers as protective occupation participants under the Wisconsin Retirement System and the treatment of county jailers under the Municipal Employment Relations Act.

Assembly Bill 4
Increasing the maximum deduction under the individual income tax sliding scale standard deduction.

Assembly Bill 2
Motor vehicle immobilization devices.

Assembly Bill 1
Coverage of individuals with preexisting conditions.

Assembly Joint Resolution 1 (Constitutional Amendment)
The rights of crime victims.

Capitol Visitors

Jason and Angie Hodkiewicz with the Wisconsin Child Care Administration Association (WCCAA) from our district visited on Thursday.

The Wisconsin Women's Network stopped in last Friday to discuss the Safe Harbor for Trafficked Youth bill I am cosponsoring.

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.