State Sen. Christine Rolfes, a Bainbridge Island Democrat and 23rd District lawmaker, was awarded “Outstanding Legislator of the Year” for 2015 by the Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee and the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee and Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs are proud to present this well-deserved award to Senator Rolfes,” said Lourdes E. Alvarado-Ramos, director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.
“She has long been a champion of veterans’ and military families in the Legislature. Her leadership to recognize Gold Star Family Members, streamline the County Veterans Assistance Fund laws, and provide property tax relief for disabled veterans is much appreciated by Washington’s veterans and their families,” Alvarado-Ramos said.
In 2015, Rolfes helped push to expand property tax exemptions for disabled veterans, passed legislation to expand eligibility for Gold Star license plates for family of those killed in combat and she currently serves on the Joint Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs.
In addition, Rolfes has served as the vice chair of a state task force on military children and sponsored legislation to ease the often complex school transfer process for military children.
Rolfes has also sponsored a bill to expand veterans’ relief opportunities to current members of the National Guard and Armed Forces Reserves, as well as championed efforts to make it easier for military spouses to transfer their work experiences from other states.
“This award is particularly special to me since military families and veterans are so central to the communities in my district,” Rolfes said. “I am grateful to everyone at the Department of Veterans Affairs who has worked with me over the years, and I look forward to continuing that work to ensure Kitsap County — and all of Washington — is a wonderful place for our service members to live and retire.”
Also honored was Hansville resident Sharon Kirkpatrick, a veteran and longtime advocate for women veterans. She has done pivotal work connecting incarcerated women veterans with veteran’s services and helped with their transition from prison back into the workforce.
