Howell First Woman Conferee From Senate

Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax) is set to become the first woman from the State Senate to become a budget conferee.

The conferees are the handful of lawmakers who duke it out at the end of each session to finish the budget. On Wednesday, Sen. Charles J. Colgan (D-Prince William), chairman of the finance committee, and Del. William J. Howell (R-Stafford), speaker of the House of Delegates, took the unusual step of announcing the conferees, whose names typically are unveiled toward the end of the session.

The House, too, has a woman conferee, Beverly J. Sherwood (R-Frederick). But she won't be the first from that chamber. That was Dorothy McDiarmid (D-Arlington), who served in 1984.

The Senate conferees are:
- Charles J. Colgan (D-Prince William)
- R. Edward Houck (D-Spotsylvania)
- Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax)
- William C. Wampler Jr. (R-Bristol)
- Walter A. Stosch (R-Henrico)
Kenneth W. Stolle (R-Virginia Beach) will serve as an adviser on matters of public safety, Colgan said.

The House conferees are:
- Lacey E. Putney (I-Bedford)
- Phillip A. Hamilton (R-Newport News)
- M. Kirkland "Kirk" Cox (R-Colonial Heights)
- Johnny S. Joannou (D-Portsmouth)
- Beverly J. Sherwood (R-Frederick)
- Clarke N. Hogan (R-Halifax)