The world that we inhabit today is constantly changing and improving as a result of the evolving technology industry. These technological advances are thanks to American innovation, ingenuity and pioneering spirit. Our nation’s inventors should have strong laws that protect their rights and provide certainty. While intellectual property laws should protect our ideas and limit litigation, advances in technology have flourished under limited regulation.

Increased regulation and bureaucracy will lead to higher costs and fewer choices. Congress should not impose new burdens on innovation, but instead allow this competitive sector of our economy to flourish and create new jobs.

As a result of these rapid technological advances, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical (STEM) skills are becoming increasingly important which is why my office participates in the Congressional App Challenge every year. This Challenge is designed to encourage students to compete against their classmates and students across the state in creating their own mobile device applications, better known as an app. Students who train in these fields will be better equipped to advance their career in a world dominated by technology.

In addition to the Congressional App Challenge, I introduced legislation titled the Advancing and Promoting Programming Act. This legislation will help American innovators more easily access the tools and resources necessary to create apps, helping to keep America competitve and relevant in an increasingly advancing world.

I have also been active in supporting the expansion of broadband. I am a co-sponsor of H.R. 3805, the Broadband Conduit Deployment Act, which seeks to include broadband conduit installation in certain highway construction projects. This would largely reduce the cost of broadband construction overall. To learn more about the importance of broadband, click here to read my op-ed in the St. Cloud Times.