She also personally sponsored a bill to ensure that cancer patients can have their wigs covered by insurance if they lose their hair. That law will take effect next week.
Bipartisan tributes streamed in Saturday for Dziedzic. Sen. Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, who succeeded Dziedzic as majority leader, said in a statement that her work improved the lives of millions and that her death will echo across Minnesota.
“Her talents as a consequential and thoughtful leader made us all better legislators, and her examples of kindness, humor and selflessness made us all better people,” Murphy said. “She was an uncommon leader and touched us all in a great many ways. I will miss her greatly.”
First-term Sen. Heather Gustafson, DFL-Vadnais Heights, said Dziedzic’s leadership held the caucus together in the 2023 session.
“She was real, never condescending, always straightforward, honest, and able to get to the heart of an issue with remarkable clarity,” Gustafson said. “I could speak endlessly about how much I admire the irreplaceable Kari Dziedzic, but right now all I can think about is how much I’m going to miss her.”
Dziedzic returned to the Capitol before the end of the 2023 session, walking down the steps with Walz, DFL Speaker Melissa Hortman and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for a celebration of their work.