[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 94 (Monday, June 3, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E578]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING MAJORITY LEADER KARI DZIEDZIC

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ILHAN OMAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 3, 2024

  Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dedicated public 
servant, Minnesota Senator Kari Dziedzic, and recognize her historic 
tenure.
  The impact of Senator Dziedzic's time as Minnesota Senate Majority 
Leader for the 2023 legislative session will reverberate for years. 
Thanks in large part to her leadership, our state saw a historically 
productive session that will leave a lasting and transformational 
legacy on Minnesotans for generations to come. In 2023, the Minnesota 
Legislature passed significant investments in our state's K-12 
education system, local governments, transportation infrastructure, 
affordable housing, and a green economy. Our elected officials also 
codified many progressive priorities, some of which had been stalled by 
gridlock for decades. These victories included statewide abortion 
access, Paid Family and Medical Leave, driver's licenses for all 
Minnesotans, the Trans Refuge and CROWN Acts, legalizing recreational 
cannabis, voting rights for 55,000 people, 100% renewable energy by 
2040 statewide, and automatic expungement of low-level cannabis 
offenses for tens of thousands of Minnesotans. These nationally- and 
internationally-lauded accomplishments simply could not have happened 
without Majority Leader Dziedzic's guidance and mediation.
  It was my great honor to work with Majority Leader Dziedzic when I 
was first elected to the Minnesota legislature, as we shared the 
privilege of representing District 60 as Representative and Senator. I 
look forward to witnessing the legacy of her work in the years to come 
especially her efforts to ensure the well-being of more than 70,000 
students, staff, and faculty who make up the University of Minnesota 
campus community. Since she was first elected in 2012, she authored 
countless bills to improve the campus, including funding for outdated 
infrastructure, critical research, and student health and safety. 
Majority Leader Dziedzic's five terms in the Minnesota Senate will be 
marked by her steadfast commitment to her constituents and her unique 
ability to bring people together to find functional, enduring 
solutions.
  Her leadership in the past decade, and especially while serving as 
Senate Majority Leader, is a great inspiration to me and so many 
others. Her devotion to thoughtful, inclusive, and productive lawmaking 
has made our state a better place to live for all Minnesotans, 
particularly those who have too often been left behind.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our profound 
gratitude to Majority Leader Dziedzic for her hard work and dedication 
as a Minnesota legislator.

                          ____________________