Representative Karen Clark (DFL) District: 62A

* 477 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
651-296-0294

E-mail: rep.karen.clark@house.mn
Join my e-mail updates list for announcements.

Legislative Assistant: Martha Ockernfels-Martinez 651-na

Committee Assignments

Chair: Housing Finance and Policy
Capital Investment
Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Finance
Jobs and Economic Development Finance and Policy
Ways and Means

Biographical Information

Home: Minneapolis 2633 - 18th Ave. S., 55407; 612-722-7728
Occupation: College instructor
Education: B.S., nursing, College of St. Teresa; M.P.A., Harvard University
Born: 7/23/45
Elected: 1980
Term: 17th
Family: Partner Jacquelyn

* Prefers interim mail at this address.

Home and Family
Raised on a farm in southwestern Minnesota
South Minneapolis resident since 1967, Phillips Neighborhood
Partner, Jacquelyn

Education
Edgerton Public High School, Edgerton, Minnesota
B.S. Degree in Nursing. College of St. Teresa, Winona, MN
Masters in Public Administration. JFK School of Government, Harvard University, 1996

Background
Worked as public health nurse, VISTA nurse-organizer and OB-GYN Nurse Practitioner.
Adjunct Faculty at: Department of Human Relations, St. Cloud State University, University of Minnesota’s Women’s Studies Department, Macalester College Women’s Studies Department, College of St. Catherine Graduate School of Holistic Health
AFSCME Member
Active in numerous South Minneapolis neighborhood, housing, health, human-rights, labor, women's, peace, and child-care organizations
Elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1980 on platform of economic and social justice, neighborhood priorities
Re-elected in 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992 1994,1996,1998, 2000, 2002,2004

Appointments
Jobs and Economic Opportunity Committee; Commerce Committee, Ways and Means Committee – MN House of Representatives
Legislative Commission on Economic Status of Women; 1981 - 2005
Forum on State & Tribal Toxics of the National Council of State Legislators, Advisory to Federal EPA - Environmental Justice Working Group, Childhood Lead Poisoning Working Group (1994 - 2000).
Co-Chair of the Corporate Subsidy Reform Commission (2000).
Governor’s Workforce Development Council
National Conference of State Legislators
WILL/WAND

Current Community Service
Phillips Community Energy Cooperative Advisory Board;
SouthSide Services for the Mentally Retarded Advisory Board;
Women’s Human Rights Program Advisory Committee, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights.
Minneapolis American Indian Center Board
BackYard Organic Apple Orchard Project, Organizer
Bolder Options Youth Mentorship Advisory Board;
Minneapolis Lead Advisory Network
Environmental Justice Advocates of MN – Board Member
Women's Environmental Institute, Executive Director

Awards
Recipient of numerous economic and social justice awards including:
Minneapolis Commission on Human Right's first Martin Luther King Award;
Minnesota Nurses Association's first Public Officials Award;
Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action's first annual Progressive Leadership Award;
Jobs Now's Advocacy and Activism Award;
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Leadership Award for anti-violence legislation;
Dare-to-Care Award, Minneapolis Guardian Angels;
Greater Minneapolis Day Care Association's Legislative Appreciation Award & Distinguished Services Awards;
Minnesota Asian Advocacy Coalition's Outstanding Service Award;
WCCO's "Good Neighbor" Award;
Minnesota Foundation for Better Hearing & Speech Public Service Award;
MN Nursing Home Residents' Advisory Council's Appreciation Award for passage of Residents' Bill of Rights;
Minnesota Human Rights Award of the League of Human Rights Commissioners;
Jobs Now Economic Justice Award;
Public Citizen of the Year, from the National Association of Social Workers (MN);
Minnesota NOW's Long Distance Runner Award;
Minnesota YouthBuild's Legislative Appreciation Award;
American Indian Business Development Corporation's Appreciation Award;
Food First Coalition's Service Award;
Minnesota State Council for the Handicapped Recognition Award;
Minnesota Right to Housing Coalition's Legislative Appreciation Award;
Coalition for the Homeless Legislative Awards;
International Network of Gay & Lesbian Officials' Founding Member Service Award;
"It's Time Minnesota" Human Rights Award;
Policy Alternative Leader (PAL) -- Center for Policy Alternatives;
Bush Fellowship to John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Central City Partnership Restorative Justice Program Award
MN ACORN’s “Friend of the People Award”
Juvenile Prostitution Prevention Appreciation Award
Summit Academy OIC Appreciation Award
Minnesota Youth Build Coalition 2001 Appreciation Award
2001 Hanson-Henningson Award for AIDS Advocacy
Minnesota Association of Professional Employees Better Government Service Award
Outfront MN 2002 Legislative Session Honoree
Stonewall DFL Caucus Advocacy and Leadership Award
Minnesota Workforce Council Associates, Friend of Workforce Development Award
Eleanor Roosevelt Fellowship Award – Center for Policy Alternatives
2003 Feminist of the Year Award – MN Women’s Political Caucus
Metropolitan Center for Independent Living’s Community Service Award
2003 Friends of Youth Leadership Award – The Minnesota Youth Intervention Programs Association
Little Earth Service Award – 30th Anniversary 1973-2003
Bishop Gumbleton Peace and Justice Award 2004 from the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities
Fellow, Salzburg Seminar on Strengthening Democracy and Governance: Women and Political Power
Fellow, Center for Policy Alternatives Foreign Policy Institute for State Legislatures
2005 Legislative Children's Champion Award – Children's Defense Fund Minnesota Action Council
Certificate of Leadership – Latino Youth of MN
2005 Paul Wellstone Advocacy Award – The Minnesota Psychiatric Society
Outstanding Visionary – College of St. Catherine
Founding Member, Minnesota Mental Health Legislative Caucus – National Alliance on Mental Illness

Major Legislative Achievement (Authored and Passed):
Non-profit Housing Bonding
Cumulative Health Impact Analysis for pollution prevention
Certificate of Need for urban high-voltage transmission lines
Neighborhood-based alternative and renewable energy study
Phasing out of bisphenol-A in baby bottles
Organic food made eligible for WIC coupons
Urban farming added to definition of "green jobs"
Health risk assessment standards for residential arsenic
Bonding for hyberbaric chamber at Hennepin County Hospital
Licensing assistance for internationally-trained health care workers
Medical Assistance coverage for childhood asthma interventions
Statewide funding for foodshelves
Funding for Permanent Supportive Housing
Enforcement of minority contracting and hiring provisions
Job training incentives
Contaminated soil clean-up at East Phillips Community Cultural Center
MN Worker's Right-to-Know and Community Right-to-Know Exposure to Toxic Substances
Cancer and Birth Defects Registry
Patients' and Residents’ Bill of Rights
American Indian Family Preservation Act
MN Emergency Employment Development Act (MEED)
AIDS funding for Communities of Color
Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans
Urban Revitalization Action Program
Inhalant Abuse and Prevention Act
Crack House Initiatives
Mn Dislocated Worker's State Fund
Community Initiatives for Children
Culturally Based Chemical Dependency Services
Telecommunications Assistance for Communications Impaired Program
Economic Conversion Planning
Hate Crimes Enforcement
Unemployment Compensation for Sexual Harassment
Native American Battered Women’s Shelter/ Asian Women’s Shelter
MN YouthBuild
"Full-Cycle" Home-ownership Opportunities
Tenants Rights and Responsibilities Legislation
"Sexual Orientation" added to MN Human Rights Act
Childcare Apprenticeship Pilot Program
Alcohol Detoxification Reform
"Crime Prevention Bonding" for Battered Women, Crime Victims, HeadStart, Crisis Nurseries, and Child Visitation Centers
Corporate Job-Creation Accountability ("Corporate Welfare")/ Living Wage
MN Family Homeless Prevention Act
MN Childhood Lead Poisoning Act
Emergency Mortgage and Rental Assistance Program
Environmental Justice Study
Public Health Approach to Crack-Cocaine Addiction
Minority Scholarships for Nurses
Culturally Specific Childcare
Affordable Rental Investment Fund
Community Rehabilitation Housing Fund
Prostitution Prevention and Tougher Penalties for Pimps
Spoken Language Interpreter Study
Restorative Justice Funding
Bonding for Green Institute Eco Center
CLEAR-Corp Funding for Lead Cleanup
Renter’s “Second Chance” Bonding and Certification Funding
Opportunities Industrialization Centers (OICs) Job Training Funding
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Jobs Program Funding
Equal Pay Study
AIDS in the Workplace Employer Training
World Trade Agreements Disclosures
Veterans’ Exposure to Toxins and Radiation Health Care Outreach
Women's Economic Development Community Organization Funding
Minority Economic Development Association Funding
Youth Intervention Project Funding
American Indian Pharmacy Project Funding
Self-Defense Education added to School Anti-Bullying Bill
Tougher Enforcement of Migrant Farm Workers' Labor Rights
Homeless Youth Services Funding
Bridges Transitional Housing for Mentally Ill Funding

Personal Interests
Hiking, bicycling, and organic apple orchardist

Of Note
Elected in 1980.Karen represents an inner city district in South Minneapolis, the lowest income Legislative District in Minnesota, and consistently receives 75-85% of the vote from her constituents. In 2008 she received 89%, the highest vote margin in the state. Karen is a frequent speaker on her innovative and "cutting edge" legislation to local, national, and international audiences. She is known among her colleagues for her coalition-building skills and her persistent community-based advocacy on behalf of her inner-city constituents and of low-income and minority-status Minnesotans throughout the state. As chair of the House's Public Health Finance and Housing Policy and Finance Committee, Rep. Clark has championed environmental health and affordable housing legislation that challenges the status quo and promotes economic and social justice options. Rep. Clark is the longest-serving openly Lesbian State Legislator in the U.S.