Committee hears AB 342 to designate March as Women’s Veterans History Month

Carson City — The Nevada Assembly Committee on Government Affairs heard testimony March 17 on Assembly Bill 342, a measure to designate the month of March as Women’s Veterans History Month and to require the governor to issue an annual proclamation encouraging observance.

Former state senator Pat Spearman, a longtime veteran who presented the bill, told the committee that women who serve in the U.S. armed forces often become "invisible" after their service ends and that the month would provide a formal vehicle for recognition, education and outreach. Spearman cited findings discussed at an interim committee and a 2023 RAND Health publication noting increased scrutiny of women service members and reporting that many women veterans say they experienced harassment or assault while serving.

Spearman described individual examples to the committee, including Lena King, a member of an all‑female Postal Battalion in World War II who later lived in Las Vegas, saying the state should preserve and publicize such histories. "We served because we wanted to. None of us were drafted," Spearman said, urging the committee to increase visibility for women veterans’ contributions and specific needs.

Supporters who testified included women veterans and veterans organizations. Army veteran Erica Watanabe, speaking in Carson City, urged passage and said recognition matters for validating sacrifices and drawing attention to the challenges women face in service. Navy veteran Leah Elmquist described serving in Iraq and said she and other women veterans are often mistaken for dependents; she said the designation would help correct that invisibility. Andrew Pilbitt, chair of the United Veterans Legislative Council, said women make up an estimated 16 to 25 percent of service members and veterans in various branches and that recognition has been a long-standing priority for veterans groups.

Opposition testimony was limited. A caller, Matthew Winterhawk of Las Vegas, opposed the measure on the grounds that it is an "identity-based designation" and asserted the state should focus on direct services rather than proclamations.

The text presented to the committee would require the governor to issue an annual proclamation encouraging media, educators and governmental officers to bring women veterans’ histories and contributions to public attention. Committee members asked about the distinction between Women’s History Month (March) and a dedicated Women’s Veterans History Month; supporters said the resolution would be a focused carve-out within March to highlight veterans’ service and needs, including issues such as military sexual trauma and gender-specific post-service supports.

The committee closed the hearing without recording a committee vote on AB 342 on March 17. The bill remains pending further action.