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By Terri Hendry 
(Reno and Las Vegas, NV) ‚Äì The Nevada Veterans Legislative Symposia is one of the best vehicles for Nevada’s veterans to air their issues and concerns to have them legislatively addressed.  
 
It is held every other year, in between sessions of the Nevada legislature. In those “off” years, the symposia consist of two separate events with one symposium being held in southern Nevada and the other in the northern part of the state.  
The Nevada Department of Veterans Services hosts both events in partnership with the United Veterans Legislative Council (UVLC), which is a lobbying arm for veterans.  
 
In each symposium, participating veterans provide input and discuss issues they believe need to be addressed. The veterans themselves then prioritize the identified issues, which helps in drafting bills to be taken before Nevada lawmakers. In 2017 Governor Brian Sandoval signed 26 veteran-friendly bills into law. The symposia held the year before played a big role in this legislative success.  
 
In Reno, the symposium will be held on Saturday, March 24th at the Washoe Senior Center located at 1155 East 9th Street. Coffee begins at 8:00 a.m. with the event running from 8:30 a.m. through 11:30 a.m. You may pre-register and save your seat in Reno by clicking this link: http://bit.ly/2HoyBmf 
 
The North Las Vegas symposium will be held on Saturday, March 31st in the first floor auditorium of the Southern Nevada VA Medical Center located at 6900 Pecos Road in North Las Vegas. Join us for coffee at 8:00 a.m. with the event running from 8:30 a.m. through 11:30 a.m. Click the link to pre-register for the Las Vegas event: http://bit.ly/2nB1SSn  
 
NDVS will provide follow-up information on the issues identified and prioritized through the symposia. To stay up-to-date, visit our website at www.veterans.nv.gov and click on the Nevada Legislative Information tab on the front page. Also, “like” our Facebook page to receive information of importance to veterans regarding the upcoming session of the Nevada legislature.