MSNBC: House approves Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act

[pinboy3niner]

Last edited Tue Dec 9, 2014, 07:18 PM - Edit history (1)

12/09/14 04:35 PM
By Steve Benen

Given just how little actually happens in Congress, and how many good bills die for no apparent reason, it’s easy to get a little cynical about what’s possible in the area of federal legislation.

Once in a while, though, a good idea actually passes. Take this afternoon, for example.

The House on Tuesday passed legislation to help prevent suicides of people who served in the military.

Passed by voice vote, the bill would require a third party to conduct an annual evaluation of suicide prevention programs at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) and Defense Department.

The measure was sponsored by Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), and enjoyed the enthusiastic support of veterans’ groups including the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). There is no roll call to link to because support was broad enough that the bill passed by voice vote.

...


There clearly isn’t a lot of time remaining in the lame-duck session, but the bill enjoys broad support in the Senate, and it’s expected to pass with relative ease. If all goes well, President Obama’s signature won’t be a problem.


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/house-approves-clay-hunt-suicide-prevention-act

Related thread about the bill posted by nitpicker:

Senate introduces bill re mental health access and suicide prevention
http://www.democraticunderground.com/11795985