WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) – today spoke on the Senate floor regarding the agreement with House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) to pass landmark mental health and suicide prevention legislation in both the House and the Senate.

The House is scheduled to pass S. 785, the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act, and H.R. 8247, the Veterans’ COMPACT Act tomorrow afternoon. S. 785 passed the Senate unanimously on August 5, and there is a bipartisan agreement to pass H.R. 8247 when it is sent to the Senate. 

“I want to thank my colleague Sen. Tester, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Chairman Takano and Dr. Roe, our counterparts on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, for working expeditiously with me to reach an agreement to pass this comprehensive mental health and suicide prevention bill for America’s veterans,” said Chairman Moran. “One veteran lost to suicide is one too many, and it’s a national tragedy that we continue to lose 20 veterans each day to suicide. I’m glad that Congress has come together to do our part and ensure this bill that will save lives, is passed without delay and signed into law.”

This legislation passed out of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee on January 29 and unanimously out of the Senate on August 5.

Click HERE to view Sen. Moran’s full remarks.

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