Rep. Christine Kaufmann will be seeking re-election in newly drawn House District 81, located in central Helena.

Kaufmann, a Democrat, served as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which builds the budget for funding public services. She said she hopes to continue on that committee if re-elected and use her influence to make education and human services top priorities.

She also serves on the Revenue and Transportation interim committee and is a legislative representative on the Fire Funding Study Committee.

"Montanans are tired of the policies of the governor and the current Republican majority in the Legislature," she said in a press release. "Across Montana, they'll be voting for new leadership and I want to continue to serve Helena at this critical time."

"Even after receiving an unexpected $100 million, the governor couldn't come forward with a unified vision for how to invest it to benefit Montanans. Instead the governor and her party's leadership responded to political pressure in a piece-meal fashion. This approach is not serving Montana well -- education and human services must not be afterthoughts."

Kaufmann said Republicans have also refused to adequately fund public education and eroded environmental protection. She emphasized the connection between a clean environment and healthy environment.

In the 2003 session, five of Kaufmann's bills were passed into law, including a measure to set up a domestic violence review commissiion. The commission reviews how domestic violence deaths might be prevented by evaluating community resources available to potential victims and abusers.

She is a recent recipient, along with Sen. Ken Toole, of the "Leadership for a Changing World" award for their work building the Montana Human Rights Network. She also received the 2003 Flemming Fellowship from the Center for Policy Alternatives and was named the conservation legislator of the year award from the Montana Wildlife Federation.