HONORING THE LIFE OF MINNESOTA STATE REPRESENTATIVE KAREN CLARK

Quick facts

Record: Extensions of Remarks
Section type: Recognition
Chamber: House
Date: July 20, 2026
Congress: 119th Congress
Why this source matters: Extensions of Remarks are statements submitted for the official record, even if they were not spoken live on the floor.

Readable version of the official text

HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

of minnesota

in the house of representatives

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of an extraordinary public servant, pioneering legislator, and tireless champion for equality, former Minnesota State Representative Karen Clark. Karen passed away on June 30, 2026, at the age of 80, following a brief illness. She is survived by her wife, Jacquelyn Zita, and by countless friends, former colleagues, and Minnesotans whose lives were changed by her decades of service and advocacy.

First elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 1980, Representative

Clark went on to represent south Minneapolis for 19 terms. At the time of her election, she became the first openly lesbian state legislator in the United States, helping to pave the way for generations of LGBTQ+ leaders to follow. Even before entering public office, Karen had dedicated her life to serving others as a public health nurse and OB/ GYN nurse practitioner with the Hennepin County Health Department. She earned her nursing degree from the College of St. Teresa in Winona and later earned a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Throughout her career, Karen believed that public service was about

expanding opportunity, protecting dignity, and ensuring that every Minnesotan had the chance to thrive. Karen worked tirelessly to strengthen protections and opportunities for LGBTQ+ Minnesotans, but her sense of justice was expansive. She championed environmental justice, affordable housing, economic opportunity, public health, and strived to lift marginalized voices from all walks of life. Her trailblazing leadership earned national recognition in 2013, when President Barack Obama honored her as a Harvey Milk Champion of Change in recognition of her decades of advocacy and public service.

It was an honor to call Karen Clark a friend, a colleague, and a

mentor. When I was first elected to the Minnesota House, our offices were next door to each other, and we shared a fantastic Legislative Assistant. Together, we worked to pass landmark amendments adding sexual orientation protections to Minnesota's Human Rights Act, and in 2013 she authored the legislation that made Minnesota the 12th state to legalize marriage equality.

opportunity, environmental sustainability, and human rights—and she carried that fight with openness, kindness, and courage for nearly four decades in office, always working hardest for the people who needed it most.