October 26, 2013

Dear Friend,

A couple things to mention as we head into another week. Thankfully the budget impasse and partial government shutdown has ended. But, the President's new health care law rollout continues its disastrous debut with escalating costs, sign up glitches, and unworkable mandates. The website costs alone have topped $600 million as millions have trouble with poorly constructed websites, and private information like Social Security numbers have been released through data breaches. And the website should be the easiest part of the law!

On Wednesday, I testified before the Ways & Means Committee’s Human Resources Subcommittee on ways to preventing sex trafficking -- check out the video below.  Also, the House passed a Water Resources and Development bill that included a bipartisan provision to help stop the spread of the Asian Carp into Minnesota by permitting the closure of the Mississippi's St. Anthony lock.

I continue to believe it's critical to reform Washington's wasteful spending habits and address the national debt so we can get America back onto sound fiscal footing. And, I will continue working to reform our outdated tax code tax so we can get our economy back on track and grow jobs.

As always, please feel free to contact me if I can assist you or your family in any way. And of course, join the conversation online by visiting my website, Facebook page, Twitter, and don't forget to watch my weekly video, Erik's Correspondence Corner.


Erik Paulsen
Member of Congress

Stopping Sex Trafficking

This week, I testified before the House Ways and Means Committee’s Human Resources Subcommittee about legislation I’ve authored and the need to address and prevent sex trafficking.

This is a critical issue that needs to be addressed in Minnesota and around the country. You may think that sex trafficking only happens outside of the United States. But, the truth is it happens every day all across this country, and even in our own backyards. The average age of young girls being exploited is 12-14 years old! By pooling our resources, and gathering ideas and intelligence from as many sources as we can, we can start to fight back and save the lives of these innocent youth.

I am the chief author of bipartisan legislation to help combat sex trafficking. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) joined me in introducing this bill that requires child welfare agencies to immediately notify the proper authorities when children go missing either from their homes or other childcare institutions such as foster homes or shelters. The bill also classifies these children as victims, not as criminals, so they can receive the proper care and assistance, and help prevent reentry into the sex trade, rather than being placed in jail.

You can watch the video of my testimony here

Stopping the Spread of Asian Carp

Also this week, the House passed an important Water Resources Reform and Development bill that included a bipartisan provision authored by several of us in the Minnesota delegation to help stop the spread of the newest invasive species that threatens Minnesota:  Asian Carp.

Asian Carp can grow to the length of more than four feet, weigh up to 110 pounds, and eat as much as twenty percent of their body weight daily. These fish are a threat to our ecosystem of over 158 different species of fish, Minnesota's economy and its $11 billion annual sales from tourism, and the thousands of Minnesotans whose livelihood depend on our lakes, rivers, and streams.

Our provision we included in this bill allows the Army Corp of Engineers to close the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, giving Minnesota an important tool in stopping the further spread of the carp up the Mississippi River and into other lakes and waterways.

You can read more about our bipartisan work to stop the spread of Asian Carp here.

Paulsen Pics

Congressman Paulsen and Congresswoman Slaughter prepare to testify on the need to address sex trafficking in America.
Paulsen visits with 5th grade students at Highlands Elementary in Edina.
Erik shows a couple young Minnesotans their U.S. Capitol building.
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