Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) today voted for H.R. 203, the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, a key piece of legislation he previously co-sponsored to help stem the epidemic of veteran suicide. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives on an unanimous vote today. While the bill passed the House unanimously during the 113th Congress, it was blocked from becoming law by now-retired Senator Tom Colburn (R-OK) last year.
"Every day, twenty-two veterans tragically commit suicide in the U.S., many of whom suffer from the invisible wounds of war such as post-traumatic stress disorder," Congressman Kildee said. "As a nation, we have an obligation to our veterans to make sure that they receive the care they need, including access to mental health care, when they return home. I'm proud to support this legislation -- supported by both Democrats and Republicans -- that increases access to mental health care and VA services for our returning men and women in uniform. It is my hope that the Senate passes this bill without delay and the President signs it into law right away."
H.R. 203 is named after Marine Corporal Clay Hunt, an Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart after being shot by a sniper's bullet. In March 2011, Corporal Hunt tragically took his own life. The bill supported by Congressman Kildee expands access to mental health services for our nation's veterans and increases the capacity and efficiency of Veterans Administration care to deal with the more than one million veterans returning from war.