Labor Day has passed and that means back to school time for students in Minnesota. In a way, it's back to school for Congress as lawmakers returned to Washington. First up was debating the Iran nuclear deal. I believe any agreement must be verifiable, enforceable, and accountable. But this agreement falls short on each of these essential principles, which is why I voted against it with a bipartisan majority of my colleagues. You can see my floor speech here.

Over the past several weeks I've met with many Minnesotans and heard from a number of people who asked for an update on what Congress was getting done. I sat down with one interested 'coffee group' in Bloomington at the local McDonald's and gave an update on some good bipartisan initiatives where we've successfully got some good things done, and which the President has signed into law. You also might want to read my column in the Eden Prairie News that details the accomplishments and productivity of the legislative session so far.

Have a great week and if I can be of help to you or your family, please give my office a call. Join the conversation online by visiting my website, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, and please watch my latest Erik's Correspondence Corner video.

Protecting Access to Prosthetics

Every day, cutting-edge medical innovation is making it easier for patients that suffer severe injuries or illnesses to live healthy, active lives. One of the best examples of this innovation are lower limb prosthetics. These prosthetics make it much easier for people that have lost a limb to regain funcionality and movement. However, proposed Medicare rules threaten this access by forcing patients to use older and less effective technology. 

Since using ill-fitting and old prosthetics can lead to accidents or other problems, these rules will most likely actually cost more money and harm patients. A number of prosthetics users from Minnesota came to Washington recently to protest the new regulations. I agree with their concerns and have written a letter to the agency in charge of Medicare asking them to stop the new rules and ensure patient access to this critical technology. You can see a speech I gave about the proposed rules here.

Remembering 9/11

Although it has been 14 years, it seems like just yesterday that we all watched as our nation came under attack. Out of the ashes grew a stronger nation and one that stood firm in the face our enemies. Even in the moments of horror, we also witnessed truly heroic actions from our first responders and others that ran toward the Twin Towers and the Pentagon to help -- many sacrifcing their own lives to do so. 

We learned of brave men and women that rushed the cockpit of flight 93 and saved countless lives in the proccess -- in fact, a memorial stands in the Capitol building that recognizes their brave actions. On Friday, Congress held a moment of silence to remember the fallen at 8:46am, the exact time that the first plane hit the first tower of the World Trade Center. As the years continue to pass, it's even more important that we commit to never forgetting what happened that fateful day.

Stopping Opioid Abuse

Here's a shocking statistic: approximately 52 million Americans over the age of 12 have used a prescription drug for reasons other than what it was written for. With heroin overdoses rising at an alarming pace, many doctors and members of law enforcement are connecting the abuse of prescription drugs to the heroin epidemic that is present in many communities.

This week, the House passed legislation to reauthorize funding for grants that encourage states to develop databases that can monitor the dispensing of prescription drugs. By better tracking these drugs, we can help ensure they stay out of the hands of those looking to use them for other purposes. In addition, I recently visited Verde Technologies, a Minnetonka company, that is doing tremendous work in the design of products to safely dispose of prescriptions drugs in a environmentally sound way. It's great to see Minnesota innovation on the front line of this issue.   

Erik taking a selfie with good friend, Fox 9's Ian Leonard, at the Minnesota State Fair.

Erik holding a heart at Miromatrix Medical which is designing products that could eliminate organ donor waiting lists.

Congressman Paulsen at Verde Technologies in Minnetonka to see new products that can help safely dispose of prescription drugs in an enivironmentally safe way.

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