OLYMPIA — State Sen. Jan Angel, R-Port Orchard, has been selected Legislator of the Year by the Governor’s Veterans Advisory Committee and Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs for her service to the state’s veterans and their families.

As a recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Services to Veterans — Legislator of the Year Award, Angel has been invited to participate in the Auburn Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, Nov. 11.

Angel, who represents the 26th Legislative District in Olympia, said issues involving military veterans and their families are her priority in the state Legislature. The district includes Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton and the Washington Veterans Home in Retsil, and is home to many service members from Joint Base Lewis McChord.

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

Earlier this 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. The bill was signed into law in May.

Washington is home to 598,000 veterans, 60,000 active duty military, 19,000 guard and reserves, and 2 million family members, the news release stated.