Ending Sex Trafficking in our Communities

Did you know that approximately 300,000 children are at risk of being involved in sex trafficking in the United States? Sadly, the average age of these young girls who are forced into prostitution is only 13. Combating this problem is a top priority of mine and I've authored multiple bipartisan legislative initiatives to combat this problem (HR 2744 The Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act and HR 3610 The Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act). I even participated in a sting operation to learn more and see firsthand how our local police officers are tackling this issue.

The good news is that the House Ways and Means Committee released draft legislation to prevent and address sex trafficking of youth in foster care which includes several provisions of the bills I am authoring. You can read some of the local coverage regarding Minnesota's work to help stop this crime from happening here.

On Site For Local Business Tours

Earlier this week I visited Lucid Brewing in Minnetonka. Lucid is a small brewery that opened just a few years ago and is experiencing a lot of growth. They also partner with and share resources with two other small brewers, Bad Weather Brewing and Badger Hill Brewing. It's exciting to see these young entrepreneurs growing their small businesses and adding and creating jobs in our community.  During the visit, we discussed the Small BREW Act (HR 494), which aims to reduce federal excise taxes on start-up breweries like the ones I toured. The brewery owners see this reduction in taxes as a way to further spur the growing Minnesota beer industry and allow them to expand their facilities, workforce, and distribution areas.