Minnesota State Senator
Minnesota State Senator Richard Cohen currently serves in the Minnesota State Senate as the chairman of the Finance Committee, a position he held from 2003 - 2010. He also serves on the Senate Rules & Administration and Capital Investment committees, and the State Departments and Veterans Budget Division. Cohen was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives from 64B in 1976 and to the Minnesota Senate in 1986 from District 64.
Senator Cohen is known for his persistent advocacy for arts funding. Through the successful passage of the Legacy Amendment, he has assured a stable source of public support for the arts for the next twenty-five years. Prior to this, he provided for significant increases for the Minnesota State Arts Board, and was instrumental in establishing the Minnesota Film and Television Board. He originated the St. Paul Cultural Star program to provide arts and cultural funding to strengthen the arts community in St. Paul.
Senator Cohen also serves on the Tyrone Guthrie Theater Board of Directors as well as the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Board of Directors. In 1998 he was given the US Bank/Ordway Theater Sally Irvine Award for Commitment to the Arts. In 2009, Senator Cohen received the Americans for the Arts National Leadership Award. This prestigious award recognizes a public official whose advocacy of the arts at the state level is admirable. Senator Cohen was appointed by President Obama in 2009 to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, which is advisory to the White House.