The U.S. House of Representatives passed Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar's bill to rename a Minneapolis post office after the late congressman Martin Sabo last week.
Sabo served Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis and eastern Hennepin County and is now represented by Omar, for nearly three decades. He also spent nearly 20 years in the Minnesota House, serving stints as both minority leader and House speaker.
Sabo died in 2016 at age 78.
Through his role on the House Appropriations Committee, Sabo helped secure funding for hundreds of state transportation, housing, environmental protection and crime prevention projects. He brought home federal money for the Twin Cities' first light-rail line and for makeovers of the Stone Arch and Hennepin Avenue bridges.
"Martin Sabo represented the people of Minnesota's 5th District with honor and distinction," Omar said in a statement. "He built a career standing up for low-income families and the middle class throughout Minnesota. Through the Post Office renaming process, future generations of Minnesotans will be aware of his lasting-legacy for the people of the 5th."
The bill has not yet passed the U.S. Senate. Omar's spokesman, Jeremy Slevin, said the congresswoman hopes it will soon make it to the president's desk.
