HB1495--MISSOURIVETERANSCOMMISSION
SPONSOR: Griffith
COMMITTEEACTION:Voted"DoPassbyConsent"bytheStanding
CommitteeonVeteransbyavoteof8to0.
Asspecifiedinthisbill,theMissouriVeteransCommissionmust
reviewtheprovisionsoftheCommanderJohnScottHannonVeterans
MentalHealthCareImprovementActof2019,andanyregulations
relatedthereto. Afterreview,theCommission,incollaboration
withtheDepartmentofMentalHealth,mustproviderecommendations
andmakeeffortstoadoptprocedures,programs,treatmentoptions,
additionalaid,andanyotherassistancedeemednecessarybythe
Commissiontoassistintheeffortstopreventveteransuicide,
subjecttoappropriation. OnorbeforeJuly1,2025,andbyevery
July1stthereaftertheCommissionmustfileareportwiththe
DepartmentofPublicSafetyandtheGeneralAssemblyonthe
recommendations, implementation, andeffectivenessoftheefforts
bytheCommissiontopreventveteransuicide.
ThisbillissimilartoHB132(2023)andHB2455(2022)
PROPONENTS: Supporterssaythatsuicideisapublichealthcrisis
intheUnitedStates.InMissouri,thesuicideratehasgrowneven
faster.Datashowsveteranscommitsuicideatahigherratethan
civilians. Weneedtofindsolutionstothisgrowingproblemand
thisbillisastepintherightdirection.
TestifyinginpersonforthebillwereRepresentative Griffith;
JasonHowe,K9sOnTheFrontLine;andArnieC.Dienoff.
OPPONENTS: Therewasnooppositionvoicedtothecommittee.
OTHERS:Otherstestifyingonthebillsaythereareavarietyof
factorsthatincreasesuicideriskincludingmentalhealthissues,
losingasenseofpurposeandbelonging,substanceusedisorders,
issueswithfinances,relationships, andlegalissues.Severalof
thesefactorsalsoputveteransatahigherriskforhomelessness
andincarceration. TheVAhasstudiedprogramsthatdecrease
suicideriskbyincreasingaccesstomentalhealthcareservices.
Therearealsoprogramsimplementedbystatesthatseektoreduce
suicideriskbyeducatingthepublicandprofessionalsonsuicide
risk,placingextraprotectionsonveterans,andincreasing
veterans'accesstomentalhealthservices.
TestifyinginpersononthebillwereSarahAnderson,MostPolicy
Initiative;andPaulKirchhoff,MissouriVeteransCommission. Writtentestimonyhasbeensubmittedforthisbill.Thefull
writtentestimonyandwitnessestestifyingonlinecanbefound
underTestimonyonthebillpageontheHousewebsite.