Hawks: Bendagate exposes lack of oversight

Representative Paula Hawks is an advocate for clean sustainable energy in South Dakota's legislature.

For more than a year the legislature's Government Operations and Audit Committee has been looking into the accusations surrounding former Tourism and State Development Secretary Richard Benda. Just this month lawmakers passed a bill they hope will prevent similar situations. If an employee thinks there is a potential conflict he or she has to report it to a supervisor. Those contracts are also reviewed every year by the legislature's Government Operations and Audit Committee. "It’s great policy it's just a little too late," Rep. Paula Hawks (D) Sioux Falls said. Hawks voted for the legislation which had broad support from Democrats and Republicans. Hawks wishes the state would have had similar laws on the books to bring clarity to the Benda situation. "I see it as a positive step in the right direction. I see us moving away from being reactive and being more proactive about keeping an eye on things that we should be keeping an eye on - things we should have oversight of," Hawks said. [KELO]

Hawks' legislature entry linked here, Ballotpedia entry linked here.

Hawks came away from the election with an eight-vote advantage in District Nine over former Rep. Bob Deelstra, a Republican who was making a bid to recapture the seat he lost in 2012. Monday's recount confirmed Hawks' victory over Deelstra, 2,662 to 2,654. Hawks said she looks forward to the next legislative session, and she plans to introduce bills dealing with public safety and education. She will be one of only a dozen Democrats in the next legislative session, down from 18 in the current Legislature. "We're small but we're mighty, and we'll make our voices heard as best as we can," she said. [Jonathan Ellis, Sioux Falls Argus Leader]