COLUMBUS (TIP): State Representative Niraj Antani (R -Miami Township) has received the 2016 Legislator of the Year award by American Veterans (AMVETS) Department of Ohio.

“I am very thankful to AMVETS for this award, but I am more thankful for all the veterans they serve who protected our nation while in the military,” Antani said. “I will continue to fight for our veterans at the Statehouse. The post 9/11 veteran unemployment rate in Ohio is abysmal. Our veterans deserve better when they return home, and I will fight for them.”

Each year, AMVETS Department of Ohio recognizes legislators who have shown continued support of veterans issues and demonstrated the ideals and goals of the AMVETS Department of Ohio. Antani accepted this award on Saturday, February 11th, 2017 in Columbus.

Antani is serving his second term in the Ohio House. He represents the 42nd District, which covers most of southern Montgomery County. Having been elected age 23, now 25, he is the youngest currently serving member of the House. In addition, he is the second Indian-American state elected official in Ohio history, and the first Indian-American Republican.

Antani was named to Forbes Magazine’s list of the top “30 Under 30” people in the United States for Law & Politics in 2015. In 2016, the conservative media organization Newsmax named him the 2nd most influential Republican in the nation under age 30. In addition, in 2013 he was named to the “Top 30 Conservatives Under Age 30 in the United States” list by Red Alert Politics and the Montgomery County Republican Party named him the “Republican Man of the Year.”