The Minnesota House of Representatives on Feb. 12, 2025, unanimously passed House File 1090 to rename the state’s library construction grant program the Mary C. Murphy Construction Grants Program, following a floor tribute to Murphy and remarks from family and colleagues.

Members of Mary Murphy’s family were invited into the well of the chamber and recognized before lawmakers shared memories on the House floor. Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan stood with the family as a gubernatorial proclamation honoring Murphy was read; a letter from U.S. Senator Tina Smith was also presented to the chamber by Representative Long.

Representative Lee F., the bill’s author and vice chair of the House Capital Investment Committee, told colleagues the renaming honors Murphy’s long public service and strong support for libraries as a teacher and legislator. “I encourage a green vote for this bill to rename the library construction grants after Mary C. Murphy,” Representative Lee said on the House floor.

Lee outlined the scope of the library construction grants the bill would rename, saying the program operates through the Department of Education and serves all counties in Minnesota: “There are 12 regional library system in the state of Minnesota with 359 public libraries. There are 8 book mobiles across the entire state, and there's at least 1 public library in every county in the state of Minnesota,” Representative Lee said. He described the program as competitive, requiring a 50% local match, and estimated the statewide funding need at about $89,000,000.

Lawmakers offered personal remembrances of Murphy, who died Dec. 25, 2024. Representative Tabke presented flowers and said members and constituents will remember Murphy’s warmth and devotion to community institutions: “Mary loved flowers,” Tabke said as he described his personal memories of her. Other members recalled Murphy’s long tenure, her work on capital projects, and her reputation for mentorship and assembling support across the aisle.

On the procedural record, the clerk called the roll for the bill’s third reading. The clerk reported “There being 132 eyes and 0 nays, the bill is passed and its title is agreed to.” The transcript shows several remote and in-person members recorded as voting “aye” during the roll call; the final tally recorded on the House floor was 132–0 in favor.

House File 1090 changes only the name of the library construction grant program in statute and the Department of Education’s grant materials; Representative Lee described eligible applicants as cities, counties, and regional public library systems and said eligible projects include renovation, expansion, new construction and accessibility projects. The bill text and additional legislative steps beyond the House vote were not read aloud in the provided transcript.

The session combined a formal legislative action — passage of HF1090 — with a ceremonial tribute to Murphy’s decades of service, emphasizing her connection to library funding and capital investment work. The chamber recorded the family’s presence in the gallery and a series of spoken remembrances, and the House proceeded immediately to the bill’s third reading and roll call.