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Pappas-backed Veteran Suicide Prevention Legislation Headed to President's Desk for Signature

November 11, 2020

Package includes nine provisions to help veterans, including legislation Pappas co-authored to require annual VA Police de-escalation and crisis intervention training

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, applauded the Senate's unanimous passage of critical veteran suicide prevention legislation that he supported, helped to craft, and worked to pass in the House this fall. The legislation now heads to President Trump for his signature. The bill, H.R. 8247, the Veterans' Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment Act of 2020, or Veterans' COMPACT Act, features 9 provisions to help prevent veteran suicide.

"There is an epidemic of suicide in our veteran's community that has been going on for far too long – with 17 veterans, National Guard members, and reservists dying by suicide each day," said Congressman Pappas. "This bipartisan legislation will help ensure veterans get the care they need when they need it, and that support and resources are in place to help save veteran lives. I want to thank Chairman Takano, Chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee, and Ranking Member Roe, for continuing to make veteran suicide prevention a top priority in this Congress. I will continue to work in a bipartisan fashion to guarantee that our veterans in New Hampshire have the care and services that they have earned, and I urge President Trump to sign this bipartisan legislation into law as soon as possible."

Among its provisions, the Veterans COMPACT Act includes language co-authored by Congressman Pappas to require annual VA Police de-escalation and crisis intervention training.

Congressman Pappas sits on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and Chairs the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. This week, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Veterans COMPACT Act, which passed in the U.S. House on September 23rd, 2020. It now heads to President Trump's desk for signature.