H.R. 8449 · 116th Congress
Veterans’ Sentinel Act
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 116th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
CrowSponsor16 cosponsors · 12 D, 4 R
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Crist
SD
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DesJarlais
TK
R
Kelly
IO
D
Omar
SL
D
Lynch
BT
D
Thompson
BF
R
Fitzpatrick
JH
D
Harder
TC
D
Cárdenas
MF
D
Fudge
AG
D
Green
JP
D
Panetta
SJ
D
Jackson Lee
DJ
R
Joyce
MS
D
San Nicolas
AC
D
Carson4 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a pilot program establishing a working group in the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention to collect and analyze data regarding on-campus (i.e., on VA property) suicides and on-campus attempted suicides by veterans.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Sep 30, 2020
Veterans' Sentinel Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a pilot program establishing a working group in the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention to collect and analyze data regarding on-campus (i.e., on VA property) suicides and on-campus attempted suicides by veterans. The working group is authorized to implement improvements to the process by which the VA collects data related to on-campus suicides to unify the disparate sources of such data.
The VA must annually brief Congress regarding the progress and findings of the working group.
The bill requires the VA to (1) annually evaluate the statistical trends of suicides and attempted suicides by veterans that occur on VA property, and (2) determine recommendations for preventing such suicides and attempted suicides.
Finally, the bill requires the Government Accountability Office to submit a report on (1) the actions the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention has taken to meet the priority objective of the VA with respect to preventing veteran suicide, (2) the challenges the office has faced in making such actions, and (3) recommendations for improvements.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Veterans’ Sentinel Act
Latest action (Sep 30, 2020): Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security · Origin: House · Introduced: Sep 30, 2020
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.