Vietnam Veterans of America honor Sen. Janet Nguyen

State Sen. Janet Nguyen of Fountain Valley has been honored by the Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Council, as their 2017 Legislator of the Year.

The recognition is given to legislators who support California veterans and their families. The award was presented to Sen. Nguyen at the state capitol during the veterans group’s annual Capitol Legislative Day.

“I am humbled to receive this recognition from the hands of the brave veterans who more than four decades ago, fought to defend the principles of freedom and democracy alongside South Vietnamese soldiers like my father,” Nguyen said. “As a member of a military family and as an advocate, I am proud to promote and protect the interests our veterans so that they may receive the care and services they rightly earned.”

Nguyen has championed policies and programs that recognize the contributions of veterans and service members throughout her career. In 2013, she led the initiative to designate Orange County as a Purple Heart County -- a designation that was subsequently adopted by all 34 cities in the county.

In her tenure as a state senator, she has introduced numerous bills to ensure that service members and veterans receive the care and assistance they earned for their service.

Last year, Nguyen introduced a package that sought to assist veterans with complex mental health and behavioral needs, accelerate the path to work for veterans transitioning into civilian life and reward state military reservists and naval militia for their extended service.

After months of advocacy and fighting for these bills in both chambers of the Legislature, Nguyen’s Senate Bill 410 receive bipartisan support and was signed into law.