Wilson joins veterans and military affairs committee

State Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, has been appointed to the Washington Legislature’s Joint Committee on Veterans’ and Military Affairs.

The 16-member committee consists of an equal number of Democrats and Republicans from both legislative chambers. The committee was created by a 2001 law and meets at least three times annually.

Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib appointed Wilson, the daughter of a U.S. Air Force veteran, to the commission at the request of Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler following the Sept. 30 retirement of former Sen. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor.

“While I’ve appreciated being able to introduce and co-sponsor many pieces of legislation related to our veterans and active-duty military, this committee looks like the place where I can dig deeper into specific needs and concerns and have those ground-floor discussions that lead to solutions,” Wilson said in a statement.

Wilson was recently involved in assembling back-to-school backpacks for children of deployed Clark County residents and welcoming a new National Guard unit to its Vancouver home. She says she didn’t expect the opportunity to come along but accepting the appointment was an easy decision.

“I look at the other names on the committee and see veterans, and others who come from military families or represent communities that have a strong military presence,” she said. “It’ll be nice to work with people who feel a similar kinship with the military and veterans — and there’s a lot of work to do.”