OLYMPIA — State Sen. Jan Angel, R-Port Orchard, was presented the 2017 Outstanding Services to Veterans — Legislator of the Year Award Jan. 22 by the Governor’s Veterans Advisory Committee and Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.

Angel was honored for her involvement with issues involving military veterans and their families. Her district, the 26th Legislative District, is home to Naval Base Kitsap — Bremerton and the Retsil Veterans Home, and houses a significant number of service members from Joint Base Lewis McChord.

“I have worked for many years to try to improve the quality of life for all of our veterans,” Angel said. “I am very honored by this award for my efforts on behalf of our active military personnel, veterans and their families.”

Last year, Angel was the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5849, which creates a peer-to-peer support network to connect veterans to services and realigns state government hiring practices to get more veterans into jobs. It was signed into law in May.

The measure also directs the state Office of Financial Management to create a veteran recruitment and hiring plan that recognizes and values the experience that veterans offer. The goal is to align public employment hiring and recruitment policies with the skills offered by veterans.