[4] While Wagner went on to a successful career in public service, Bennington quit in her first term, explaining that she was better suited for divorce law.
[4] Prior to her election to the Pennsylvania House, Bennington was an attorney who specialized in divorce and other family law cases in the Greater Pittsburgh region.
[7] She stated that she hoped to help reduce the size of the Pennsylvania House to make it a more effective body, but chose to leave after just one term.
When asked why she was retiring prior to the 2008 elections, she told newspaper reporters that she was frustrated by the slow pace of legislative deliberations and the lack of progress on key issues, including gun safety and a ban on smoking.
[6][8] During her tenure, she was unable to secure support for a law that would have required hospitals to inform rape victims about emergency contraception options, but was able to convince her fellow House members to approve legislation authorizing the creation a centralized, online resource where Pennsylvania residents would be able to locate information about all of the laws in the commonwealth moving forward.