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Bill would designate March as Women Veterans History Month; supporters cite visibility and service gaps
Summary
Assembly Bill 342 would designate March as Women Veterans History Month in Nevada and require an annual gubernatorial proclamation urging education and commemoration. Supporters, including veterans' organizations and former Senator Pat Spearman, testified about under-recognition of women veterans and cited studies and personal accounts; the com
Former state Senator Pat Spearman presented Assembly Bill 342 to the Senate Committee on Government Affairs, asking legislators to designate the month of March each year as Women Veterans History Month.
"Women have proudly served in the U.S. military for over 200 years," Spearman said. She cited a 2023 RAND publication describing how women service members face scrutiny while serving and can become "invisible" after leaving the military. She also told committee members that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that on average 1 in 3 women veterans disclose some form of harassment or assault to a VA health care provider.
Spearman and other witnesses described both historical examples and contemporary deployments. Spearman noted more than 300,000 U.S. women had been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001; she said 66 women lost their lives and others were left with lasting physical and mental harm from those deployments. She recounted historical episodes such as the 6888th Postal Battalion (an all-women battalion during World War II) and recent film portrayals meant to raise visibility.
Veterans' organizations — including the United Veterans Legislative Council, the VFW and DAV representatives — supported the measure. Andrew Lapelbit and others noted that women now make up a growing share of the veteran population and that a named month would help public recognition, educational programming and outreach.
No public opposition appeared at the committee hearing. The committee closed the hearing without a recorded vote.
