Karen's recent work at the Legislature

Karen's current appointments include

• 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

Some of Karen's major legislative achievements (including authored and passed bills) are

• Minnesota 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
• Minnesota 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