Marina del Rey – Assemblymember Betsy Butler (D-Marina del Rey) is honored to announce that she has been named 2011 Legislator of the Year by the Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Council (VVA-CSC).  The VVA-CSC Legislator of the Year award is given to legislators who have exhibited exceptional leadership, support and dedication to veterans, service members and their families.

“We have an obligation to properly address the tremendous challenges our service men and women face after returning home,” said Assemblymember Butler.  “Veterans wrestle with unique issues that can lead to homelessness, incarceration or even suicide. I am proud to advocate for services that treat our veterans with the respect and dignity they deserve.”

Assemblymember Butler introduced legislation (AB 201) to establish Veterans Courts, which seek to help veterans reclaim stability in their lives. Veterans Courts use a combination of judicial monitoring augmented with chemical dependency and mental health treatments as part of a comprehensive plan to ensure veterans get the support they need.

“We applaud Assemblymember Butler’s commitment, tenacity and willingness to tackle the big issues affecting all veterans and we look forward to a long and productive relationship with her,” said VVA-CSC Legislative Chairman Ken Holybee.

Assemblymember Butler will be presented with the Legislator of the Year award at the VVA-CSC’s Annual Capitol Legislative Day event on March 28, 2012.

The Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Council has over 4300 members and is the California unit of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). The VVA-CSC annually names one member of the Assembly and one member of the Senate as Legislator of the Year.