I hope you are enjoying summer as we head into an exciting week of Independence Day activities. This week I suited up in a Minnesota Twins uniform for the annual Congressional Baseball game which raises money for some great charities and is a fun opportunity to interact with my colleagues.

I'm continuing to focus on ways to combat the problem of sex trafficking. New legislation that was recently introduced, the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act, includes provisions I helped author to reform the foster care system and prevent vulnerable children from falling into sex trafficking. I also spoke on the House floor about recent efforts by the FBI, local and state law enforcement, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Chilrden to rescue 168 victims of sex trafficking. The sting led to the arrest of 281 traffickers who were exploiting chilrden.

On Friday, I toured areas in Chaska and Chanhassen that have experienced damage from recent flooding. It's important to make sure that families and businesses will have the resources they need to return to normal as soon as possible.

If I can be of help to you or your family, don’t hesitate to give my office a call. Join the conversation online by visiting my website, Facebook page, Twitter, and don't forget to watch my weekly video, Erik's Correspondence Corner.

Presidential Scholars at the Capitol

The Presidential Scholarship Program is awarded every year to 121 graduating high students around the country based on a number of academic requirements including test scores and essays. It's considered one of the highest honors any high school student can receive. This week, the three Minnesota recipients of this award -- Amy Tan of Eden Prairie H.S., Zoe Tu of Wayzata H.S. and Patrick Buehler of Providence Academy -- stopped by the Capitol to visit between their other activities. It was great getting to meet some of our future leaders and show them around!

IRS Scandal Continues

By now everyone is familiar about the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) targeting of Americans based their personal beliefs and the subsequent investigations. Now, the IRS is claiming that they lost two years of critical emails from seven IRS employees who are central to the investigation, including former employee Lois Lerner, who is refusing to testify. I questioned the current IRS Commissioner, John Koskinen, about the missing emails at a hearing before the Ways and Means Comittee. I've come to believe that the only way to get to the bottom of what happened is to have the Attorney General appoint a non-partisan special prosecutor. I also spoke recently with WCCO's Esme Murphy on this issue and the Star Tribune wrote an editorial pushing for a special prosecutor as well.

Raising Awareness for Tramautic Head Injuries

This week I met with former University of Minnesota Golden Golpher and Super Bowl winning tight end Ben Utecht. Ben sadly had his career cut short due to concussions suffered throughout his playing career. We continue to learn more and more about the long-term damage that can be caused by head injuries and the need to ensure that safe precautions are taken -- especially for youth sports. I've supported legislation to fund research and preventative programs dealing with traumatic head injuries to help stem the rise of concussions.

Erik with this year's High School Presidential Scholars from Minnesota

Congressman Paulsen meets with Greta Christiansen and her parents to talk about the importance of Children's Hospital

Congressman Paulsen surveys flood damage along the Minnesota River

Erik puts on the Minnesota Twins' uniform for the annual Congressional baseball game

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