Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic returned to the Capitol Tuesday for her first Senate floor session since undergoing cancer surgery in mid-March.
Majority Leader Dziedzic returns to Senate floor after cancer surgery
The Minneapolis DFLer had been mostly working from home since surgery March 13.
May 2, 2023 at 5:05PM
The Minneapolis Democrat had been working from home since her surgery March 13, which she announced the following day. Her return wasn't announced in advance and Dziedzic didn't comment on the floor.
The majority leader, 60, wore a black mask over her mouth and nose, and appeared thinner than before her surgery. Typical of her self-effacing style, there was no welcome back ceremony or applause for her return.
Elected majority leader after the DFL narrowly won control of the Senate in the November election, Dziedzic said doctors discovered ovarian cancer during her routine health screenings late last year. In March, she underwent a hysterectomy and also had her appendix and spleen removed.
She's been working from home, voting remotely, conducting meetings online with colleagues and lobbyists and generally receiving good marks for a high level of engagement during her recovery.
A Senate DFL spokesman said Dziedzic had previously attended a couple of Senate Rules Committee meetings at the Capitol, but did not stay long.
The Senate is in its final three weeks with adjournment scheduled no later than May 22.
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