The U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act” (H.R. 327) yesterday. The story from the Des Moines Register:
A young Iowa reservist who killed himself after returning from Iraq, and his parents’ crusade to prevent more suicides, took center stage on the floor of the U.S. House on Tuesday.
Lawmakers voted 417-0 to grant final approval to the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act. It is named in honor of an Army veteran from Grundy Center who took his own life following an 11-month deployment.
Essential Estrogen talks about Congressman Leonard Boswell’s role in getting the legislation passed:
The bill was originally introduced by Congressman Leonard Boswell and directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a comprehensive suicide reduction program.
“It is almost with relief that we are passing this bill today,” Boswell said in a prepared statement. “There are thousands of veterans out there who need our help.”
The bill not only requires the VA to develop a program to address the rate of suicide among veterans, but also requires further research, peer counseling, family education and involvement, and education of all staff at the VA.
“The purpose of this legislation is simple—to improve early detection for incidence of suicide among veterans and to provide those veterans with the assistance they need,” said Boswell while speaking today on the House floor in support of the bill.
We have been making some bold moves towards greater protections for veterans at the state level as well. We have a solemn duty to help our veterans and those that are currently serving our country.
