Veteran Suicide Prevention Act
Latest action · Mar 7, 2016 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 26, 2016
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Veteran Suicide Prevention Act
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to complete a publicly available review of the deaths of all covered veterans who died by suicide during the preceding five-year period.
Such review shall include:
- the total number of veterans who died by suicide during the five-year period;
- a summary that includes age, gender, and race;
- a list of the medications prescribed to, and found in the systems of, such veterans at the time of their deaths, and a summary of medical diagnoses by VA physicians which led to the prescribing of such medications;
- the number of instances in which the veteran was concurrently on multiple medications prescribed by VA physicians;
- the percentage of veterans who were not taking any medication prescribed by a VA physician;
- the percentage of veterans with combat experience or trauma;
- Veterans Health Administration facilities with markedly high prescription and patient suicide rates;
- a description of VA policies governing the prescribing of medications; and
- recommendations to improve the safety and well-being of veterans.
"Covered veteran" means any veteran who received VA hospital care or medical services during the five-year period preceding the veteran's death.
Cosponsors 66
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 26, 2016 to Nov 16, 2016; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NV | Dina Titus | Original | Feb 26, 2016 |
| R-LA | Ralph Lee Abraham | Original | Feb 26, 2016 |
| D-HI | Tulsi Gabbard | Original | Feb 26, 2016 |
| D-MA | William R. Keating | Mar 2, 2016 | |
| D-AZ | Ann Kirkpatrick | Mar 14, 2016 | |
| R-CO | Mike Coffman | Mar 14, 2016 | |
| D-NY | Charles B. Rangel | Mar 16, 2016 | |
| R-NC | Walter B. Jones | Mar 16, 2016 | |
| R-IA | David Young | Mar 21, 2016 | |
| R-FL | Dennis A. Ross | Mar 21, 2016 | |
| R-NY | Peter T. King | Mar 21, 2016 | |
| D-MI | Brenda L. Lawrence | Mar 22, 2016 | |
| R-CO | Doug Lamborn | Mar 22, 2016 | |
| R-AR | J. French Hill | Mar 22, 2016 | |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Mar 22, 2016 | |
| D-TX | Beto O'Rourke | Apr 12, 2016 | |
| R-VA | Dave Brat | Apr 12, 2016 | |
| D-WA | Derek Kilmer | Apr 12, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Eric Swalwell | Apr 12, 2016 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Apr 12, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Michael M. Honda | Apr 12, 2016 | |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Apr 12, 2016 | |
| D-GA | Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. | Apr 12, 2016 | |
| R-GA | Barry Loudermilk | Apr 14, 2016 | |
| D-IL | Bobby L. Rush | Apr 14, 2016 | |
| R-AL | Bradley Byrne | Apr 14, 2016 | |
| R-UT | Chris Stewart | Apr 14, 2016 | |
| D-IL | Mike Quigley | Apr 14, 2016 | |
| D-MA | Seth Moulton | Apr 14, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Mark DeSaulnier | Apr 15, 2016 | |
| R-IL | Robert J. Dold | Apr 18, 2016 | |
| R-SC | Joe Wilson | Apr 19, 2016 | |
| D-MI | John Conyers, Jr. | Apr 19, 2016 | |
| D-CT | Rosa L. DeLauro | Apr 19, 2016 | |
| R-KY | Thomas Massie | Apr 19, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Apr 20, 2016 | |
| R-NJ | Frank A. LoBiondo | Apr 26, 2016 | |
| R-TX | Pete Olson | Apr 27, 2016 | |
| D-KY | John A. Yarmuth | Apr 28, 2016 | |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Apr 29, 2016 | |
| D-AZ | Ruben Gallego | Apr 29, 2016 | |
| R-OH | David P. Joyce | May 10, 2016 | |
| D-MI | Debbie Dingell | May 10, 2016 | |
| R-NY | Elise M. Stefanik | May 10, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Scott H. Peters | May 12, 2016 | |
| D-MA | Stephen F. Lynch | May 12, 2016 | |
| R-OK | Tom Cole | May 16, 2016 | |
| R-NJ | Christopher H. Smith | May 24, 2016 | |
| R-TX | John Ratcliffe | May 24, 2016 | |
| D-GA | John Lewis | May 25, 2016 | |
| D-TX | Al Green | Jun 7, 2016 | |
| R-ND | Kevin Cramer | Jun 7, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Mark Takano | Jun 7, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Tony Cárdenas | Jun 7, 2016 | |
| R-AZ | Trent Franks | Jun 7, 2016 | |
| R-CA | Duncan Hunter | Jun 10, 2016 | |
| R-GA | Earl L. "Buddy" Carter | Jun 10, 2016 | |
| D-IL | Tammy Duckworth | Jun 10, 2016 | |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Jun 21, 2016 | |
| R-NY | Chris Collins | Jul 5, 2016 | |
| D-NY | Louise McIntosh Slaughter | Jul 5, 2016 | |
| D-OH | Marcy Kaptur | Jul 5, 2016 | |
| D-WI | Ron Kind | Jul 5, 2016 | |
| R-NY | John Katko | Sep 6, 2016 | |
| D-NY | Brian Higgins | Nov 16, 2016 | |
| D-RI | David N. Cicilline | Nov 16, 2016 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Feb 26, 2016 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Mar 7, 2016 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 7, 2016Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Feb 26, 2016Introduced in House
- Feb 26, 2016Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 162, no. 31, February 26, 2016, page H1000.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a review of the deaths of certain veterans who died by suicide, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Veteran Suicide Prevention Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 26, 2016Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
