By Dave Thompson
Bismarck, ND – Two years ago, there was only one woman on the North Dakota House and Senate Appropriations committees -- Rep. Pam Gulleson (D-Rutland).
In the 2007 session, there will be four. Sen. Karen Krebsbach (R-Minot) will serve on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Rep. Kathy Hawken (R-Fargo) and Rep. Mary Ekstrom (D-Fargo), join Gulleson on House Appropriations.
Hawken tried unsuccessfully to convince House leadership to put her on Appropriations two years ago. Now, she says she's very happy.
"I truly believe that, to have all the pieces of the puzzle, you need a woman's point of view," said Hawken. "We do look at things differently. I'm not saying that viewpoint is always correct, but it needs to be figured into the mix."
Hawken was assigned to the Education and Environment subcommittee. She says that's a good fit.