Dear Friend,

We’re back in session in Washington this week, and I look forward to giving you an update during my town hall on Wednesday night. Read on to learn about how to join!

In the meantime, I know most of us have seen Brooklyn Center on the news as they experience protests and riots in the wake of a tragic incident between a citizen and law enforcement. During the protests on Saturday, Representative Maxine Waters, a Member of Congress from California, stood before a crowd of protesters in Brooklyn Center. She traveled to Minnesota to tell them to “stay in the street” – during a mandated curfew – and “get more confrontational” if former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin received a verdict of anything less than first-degree murder.

We all witnessed the destruction following the death of George Floyd. The rioting and lawlessness that accompanied the protests were too close to home. We do not need public officials that do not represent our state or community using inflammatory rhetoric, as we continue to rebuild from the damage done last year.

With this in mind, I sent a letter calling for Representative Waters to be censured and for a strong condemnation of her use of inflammatory rhetoric. I also asked that House Democratic leadership investigate whether she used official funds to travel outside of her state and district to do so. I hope my colleagues from Minnesota, and across the nation, will stand with us this week as the House votes on a censure. You can read my letter here.

If you would like to write to me about this, or any other issue, please visit my website here to send me an email.

TOMORROW: Telephone Town Hall – 7PM 

Tomorrow, I hope you will join me for yet another telephone town hall. We will begin at 7PM CT. This month, our focus will be on resources for our seniors and aging Minnesotans. Joining me for this town hall will be experts from the Central Minnesota Council on Aging and the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging, now known as Trellis. To join, call this number: 855-962-1252

Learn more on my website, here.

Supporting Life-Saving Transplants

The National Bone Marrow Donor Registry was established in 1987. In 1988, the name changed to the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), which was operated out of an office at the American Red Cross in St. Paul, Minnesota. This program has become a worldwide service and has facilitated more than 100,000 hematopoietic cell transplants with marrow, peripheral blood stem cells, and cord blood, and now conducts nearly 6,200 transplants a year.

The National Marrow Donor Program, more popularly known as “Be The Match” is still headquartered in Minnesota. In order for Be The Match to continue its operations and support transplant patients and donors worldwide, they need funding reauthorization from the federal government every five years.

The TRANSPLANT Act, which I co-sponsored, reauthorizes the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program and supports patients who need a potentially life-saving bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. Last week, with my support, the House passed this important authorization, and I spoke on the House floor in favor.

Watch my remarks here.

This program is the single point of access for coordinating care for those in need of marrow transplants. They maintain the central database for marrow donors and cord blood units in one electronic database. This system has more than 22 million donors on the Registry, and more than 35 million donors worldwide. They also have exclusive access to 300,000 cord blood units, and nearly 783,000 cord blood units worldwide

The TRANSPLANT Act also supports the Office of Patient Advocacy, which provides information, resources, and support to patients and families facing illnesses, and a Stem Cell Therapeutic Outcomes Database which collects and uses data about transplants to improve transplantation to help patients live longer. The reauthorization of this funding will ensure Be The Match can reduce the time patients wait for a transplant, protect access to transplants, and save lives through cellular therapy.

Standing Up For the Sanctity of Life

Every life is precious, and I have made it a priority in Congress to support and defend life. Recently, I became a co-sponsor of an important piece of legislation that would put a stop to infanticide in our nation. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act will save lives and ensure the appropriate medical care is provided to survivors of abortions.

The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act was introduced by my good friend and colleague, Representative Ann Wagner, to ensure babies born alive after an attempted abortion receive the same care that any other baby born prematurely would receive. This legislation mandates that the health care practitioners perform necessary life-saving measures and admit the infant into the hospital if necessary. Any health care provider who does not comply with the requirements are subject to criminal penalties, and any individual who intentionally kills an infant surviving an abortion attempt is subject to a murder prosecution.

On April 14, 2021, I join my colleagues in signing a discharge petition to force a vote in the House of Representatives on this important legislation. A discharge petition will – if signed by a simple majority of 218 members of the House of Representatives – move the corresponding legislation to the House floor for a debate, and finally, a vote.

By refusing to hold a vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, House Democrats are allowing infanticide to continue in our nation. Life is too precious for this to be tolerated in our country, and I will do everything in my power to support this bill’s passage in the House of Representatives.

You can read more about this legislation and my work to support life here.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

This month marks the 20th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month and serves as a time for us to focus on the ways we can prevent sexual violence and support those who have experienced it. One in every six American women will be impacted by sexual assault, and someone is assaulted every 73 seconds. These heartbreaking statistics represent a life that has been forever changed by this horrible crime. That’s why the month of April is so important and it is vital that we support survivors.

The first, and the most important, thing we can do is ensuring that we bring perpetrators of these crimes to justice—but that is easier said than done. Out of every 1000 assaults, 995 perpetrators will walk free, making sexual assault the crime where perpetrators are least likely to be imprisoned. What’s more, only 23% of assaults are reported in the first place. We must craft a system for reporting and prosecuting assaults where survivors feel safe coming forward.

Earlier this year, I reintroduced the Abby Honold Act. This legislation was inspired by the story of a University of Minnesota student who was assaulted by a classmate. When she was questioned by law enforcement, however, Abby’s body recoiled from the shock and shut down, leaving important details and facts about what happened inaccessible.

Congressman Emmer with Abby Honold and her nurse, Linda Walther.

For many survivors of sexual assault, the story would end here and the crime would not have been met with justice.

But Abby’s nurse was trained in trauma-informed interview techniques, an evidence-based practice, that enables professionals and first responders, such as law enforcement, to account for a survivor’s trauma and help pinpoint key details that can help bring criminals to justice while avoiding re-traumatization. Using this technique helped Abby tell her story that helped bring her assailant to justice.

When we heard her story, Senator Klobuchar and I joined Abby in turning her traumatic experience into a fight for other survivors. We worked together to introduce the bipartisan Abby Honold Act to give police departments across the country access to training in trauma-informed care practices. This legislation will help ensure survivors get the compassionate care they deserve.

Recently, I also joined a bipartisan letter to House and Senate Leadership urging prioritized funding to support services for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. The letter asks that strong funding goes towards the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) and the Victims of Child Abuse Act (VOCAA).

For more information on Sexual Assault Awareness Month, visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center here to help raise awareness.

Until next week, if you are in need of assistance or would like to share your thoughts with me, please write me an e-mail here.

To keep up with what we’re doing in Washington, follow me on Twitter and Facebook for more updates!

Sincerely,