>>Bipartisan Veteran Suicide Prevention Bill Shot Down by Senate Panel
(Richmond, VA) -- A bipartisan bill aimed at preventing veteran and military suicides in Virginia is stalled after a Senate panel unexpectedly voted it down after it passed unanimously in the House of Delegates. Thomas Cage with more.Preview: Voicer Script:
The bill sought to compile and share data on veteran and military suicides and create a suicide prevention program within the state Department of Veterans Services. Despite the setback, VPM dot org reports the bill's sponsor, Democrat Delegate David Reid, is hopeful that the state budget will fund the effort. The bill's defeat comes as a blow to efforts to address the issue of veteran and military suicides in Virginia, which have been on the rise. Numbers from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs shows Virginia had 184 veteran suicide deaths in 2022.