Her legislation involved "establishing a 'children's survival bill;' creating boarding-home regulations and bills of rights for nursing home residents and persons with developmental disabilities; mandating health insurance coverage for mentally ill; and providing for a living will.
She attended but did not graduate from the Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham University), but continued to study music privately and performed in opera, in concerts, and on showboats.
[1] In 1975, Bendl was first elected to the house after incumbent David Karem retired to run for the Kentucky Senate.
In the 34th district in the Kentucky General Assembly, she would push for legislation regulating nursing homes and fighting domestic violence.
[1] For the latter, she overwhelmingly passed her 1980 bill on warrantless arrests for domestic violence despite strong opposition and debate, including a clash where she shouted into her microphone out of turn.