She is currently the lead minority member of the Governmental Operations and Veteran Affairs Policy Committee and is a member of the State Government Finance Committee and the Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee. She is also a member of the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources and the 2005 Capitol Centennial Commission. Her legislative interests include issues dealing with pension and investment policy, science and technology (most recently DNA testing and the role of biotechnology in agriculture) information policy, natural resources and women's rights.

She has been the chief author of the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act, the computer crime and computer virus laws, and legislation on nuclear safety, radioactive waste disposal, field tests of genetically modified crops and infectious waste disposal. She also authored laws to require gender equity in athletics and laws prohibiting discrimination based on age or disability. She has been instrumental in obtaining funding for parks, trails, historic preservation, art-enhancement of State buildings, and the expansion of community and urban forests.

She has served on many national committees, particularly in the field of Science and Public Policy and has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

June 2004