THEIR BEST TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.

THAT SHOULD BE THE GOAL.

>> Mary: THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> MARY: THIS FIRST-TERM DFL LAWMAKER IS ALREADY A CO-CHAIR IN A JOINT COMMITTEE ON WATER POLICY AND HOPES THAT HER SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND CAN HELP REACH ACROSS THE AISLE.

REPRESENTATIVE, FIRST QUESTION WE ASK EVERY SIMM FRESHMAN, WHY DID YOU WANT TO RUN?

>> THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION AND IT'S ALWAYS FUN TO ANSWER.

SO MY BACKGROUND IS ACTUALLY ALL IN LABORATORY GENETICS AND I WAS SEEING ALL THIS GREAT WORK BEING DONE AT THE BENCH BUT IT WASN'T NECESSARILY TRANSLATING INTO UP-TO-DATE OR GOOD POLICY SO I THOUGHT, BEING UNIQUE CIENTIST THAT I CAN KIND OF UNDERSTAND BOTH SIDES, I GOT INVOLVED WITH MY UNION, GOT INVOLVED WITH MY COMMUNITY TO KIND OF LEARN HOW TO ORGANIZE AND LEARN HOW TO DRAFT POLICY LANGUAGE AND LEARN ABOUT POLICIES THAT I COULD BE A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE SCIENTISTS WHO KNOW THE SCIENTISTS, SCIENCE AND THE POLICY-MAKERS WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR AS MUCH OF THE SCIENCE.

>> Mary: I'VE BEEN AROUND POLITICS FOREVER, MY WHOLE LIFE AND THERE WERE VERY FEW TO KNOW SCIENTISTS FOR MUCH OF MY CAREER ND SUDDENLY THE CAPITOL IS FULL OF METEOROLOGISTS AND ACCREDITED SCIENTISTS.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS THAT FOLKS IN YOUR PROFESSION ARE LEANING IN NOW TO PUBLIC POLICY?

>> I THINK IT'S JUST O MUCH OF OUR POLICY CONVERSATIONS ARE CENTERED AROUND SCIENCE AND EVERYTHING FROM CLIMATE CHANGE TO VACCINATIONS TO COVID RESPONSE TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, FENTANYL CRISIS, SO MUCH STUFF IS VETTED IN SCIENCE THAT I THINK FINALLY SCIENTISTS LIKE MYSELF, WE'RE TAKING A MORE ACTIVE ROLE AND SAYING IT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR US TO PUBLISH AND PRESENT AND KNOW THIS WITHIN OUR OWN SPHERES BUT WE NEED TO BE TAKING THIS OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY, TOO, SO THAT THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS HOW IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC WORK IS.

>> Mary: HOW IS IT TRANSLATING BECAUSE I'M GUESSING YOU'RE SITTING IN COMMITTEE AND LOOKING AT BILLS AND AS A SCIENTIST, YOU MIGHT BE TAKING A NONPARTISAN, VERY FACTUAL LENS ON IT SO HOW IS THAT KIND OF COLLIDING WITH POLITICS AT THE CAPITOL FOR YOU SO FAR?

>> I THINK THAT SCIENCE IS NOT REALLY POLITICAL.

YOU LOOK AT THE DATA ND YOU LOOK AT DATA, YOU MAKE INFERENCES AND CONCLUSIONS AND YOUR FINAL CONCLUSION IS BASED ON THE DATA IN FRONT OF YOU.

SO WHEN YOU'RE JUST TALKING STRAIGHT FACTS, I FIND THAT'S NOT REALLY POLITICAL AND I FIND THAT, YOU KNOW, ASKING QUESTIONS BASED ON FACTS IN FRONT OF ME BECAUSE HELP ME CREECH ACROSS THE AISLE, AS WELL, BECAUSE IT'S LIKE, HEY, LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS AND UNDERSTAND IT BETTER TOGETHER.

AND I THINK IT DOES FORM BETTER POLICY, AS WELL.

>> Mary: DID YOU THINK THAT NONPARTISAN APPROACH HELPS IN YOUR DISTRICT, TOO?

YOU HAVE A PRETTY COMPETITIVE DISTRICT, RIGHT?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

MY DISTRICT IS SOUTH MAPLEWOOD AND WOODBURY SO A LOT OF [INDISCERNIBLE] OUT ARE O.

-- 3MERS OUT HERE U SO A LOT OF SCIENTISTS EVEN IN MY DISTRICT AND I HAVE HEARD ON THE DOORS AND HEARD IN COMMUNITY THAT THEY REALLY APPRECIATE THAT KIND F FACTUAL BASE, THAT INDEPENDENT THINKING.

I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE COCHAIR OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON WATER WHICH JUST GETS ME TO KNOW BETTER WHAT THE POLITICAL ECOSYSTEM IS LIKE, THE HISTORY OF WHAT WE'VE DONE IN POLICY BUT ALSO TAKING MY CIENTIFIC BACKGROUNDS AS WELL AS THE INTEREST AND NEEDS OF MY COMMUNITY TO KIND OF BRING IT ALL TOGETHER AGAIN TO GET A REALLY GOOD, ROBUST AND COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SOME REALLY SMART POLICY THAT'S GOING TO BE EFFECTIVE IN THE FUTURE.

>> Mary: YOU MENTIONED YOU GET A COCHAIR, A SUBCOMMITTEE WHICH THIS FRESHMAN CLASS HAS PROBABLY NOT ONLY A RECORD SIZE BUT A RECORD AMOUNT OF INFLUENCE IN THE PAST IT WOULD BE VERY RARE FOR A FRESHMAN TO HAVE A GAVEL OR A COCHAIR.

HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT FOR YOU TO PROVIDE SOME LEADERSHIP?

>> IT HAS BEEN AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE.

I TAKE THAT RESPONSIBILITY VERY SERIOUSLY BECAUSE AS YOU JUST MENTIONED, THIS IS MY FIRST YEAR, MY FIRST TERM AND I ALSO SEE THAT AS OTHERS IN MY CAUCUS, IN THE -- MY COMMITTEE AND IN THE WATER COMMITTEE TO SEE THIS TYPE OF TALENT AND KNOWLEDGE I CAN BRING TO THE TABLE, AS WELL AS KIND OF LIKE MY PROFESSIONALISM AND MY APPROACH SO VERY HONORED, FEELING VERY FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO FILL THAT ROLL.

I WAS ABLE TO HELP HOMEOWNERS GET SOLAR PANEL PANEL ONLY THEIR HOUSES WITHOUT THE INTERFERENCE OF THEIR HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATION.

I HELPED WITH A CONSUMER PROTECTION BILL FOR DIG DIRECT TO CONSUMER GENETIC TESTING.

I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF PIECES IN THERE THAT I FELT REALLY FULFILLED AND CONTRIBUTING TO.

>> Mary: IS THERE ANY PART OF YOU THAT MAYBE YOU DID TOO MUCH, YOU AND YOUR PARTY, OVERREACHED, OVER-PROMISED, THERE COULD BE BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS DOWN THE ROAD, ANY CONCERN ON YOUR PART?

>> HERE'S WHERE I KIND OF LET THE SCIENTIST, WE WILL SEE WHAT THE DATA SHOWS.

I ALWAYS THINK OF THE DOWN?

STREAM CONSEQUENCES AND UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES BUT I DO THINK OUR LEADERSHIP AND OUR CHAIRS ALSO WITH THEIR EXPERIENCE AND THEIR EXPERTISE AND IN THEIR COMMUNITY, THEY ALSO KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHAT DOWNSTREAM IMPLICATIONS CAN BE.

>> Mary: WHAT WOULD PRICE PEOPLE THE MOST IF YOU WOULD TELL THEM ABOUT THIS IS WHAT IT'S REALLY LIKE AT THE CAPITOL, LIKE WHAT'S YOUR BIG INSIDER SURPRISE NOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN THERE (THERE IS A LOT OF BEHIND-THE-SCENES WORK I THINK THAT PEOPLE DON'T SEE.

I THINK PEOPLE SEE THE FLOOR SESSIONS AND THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT EVERYTHING IS LIKE, AND THAT'S NOT AT ALL WHAT IT'S LIKE.

THERE IS A LOT OF COLLABORATION, A LOT OF COLLEAGUE TO COLLEAGUE MEETINGS.

THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE TALKING TO OTHERS ACROSS THE AISLE TO TRY TO GET REALLY