Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mike Bost (R-Ill.), Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Congressman Greg Murphy (R-NC), and Congressman David Rouzer (R-NC), released the following statements after the House passed H.R. 6411, the Supporting the Resilience of Our Nation’s Great (STRONG) Veterans Act of 2022, bipartisan legislation to give the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) important new authorities and resources to support veterans’ mental health and well-being:
“Veterans deserve the health care they need to thrive following their brave service to our great country, and the STRONG Veterans Act will help them get it,” said Ranking Member Bost. “This bill will help more veterans connect with crisis services and improve the delivery of mental health support for veterans and military families across the country. I am proud to sponsor the STRONG Veterans Act with my friend, Chairman Takano. I am grateful to him and all the lawmakers in the House and Senate who spearheaded pieces of this legislation. I look forward to seeing this bill passed in the Senate and signed into law soon.”
“I am thrilled to see my Veterans Justice Outreach Improvement Act pass the House today as a part of the STRONG Veterans Act. As a 24-year Army veteran, I know that the VJO program is incredibly important to supporting our veterans and we need to be working to make sure it reaches every veteran it can help,” said Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks. “I will always fight to ensure that our veterans have access to the benefits they have earned and the services they need. I look forward to working with all of my colleagues to support our heroes.”
“I am so proud to see our legislation, the Student Veteran Counseling Centers Eligibility Act pass the House today as part of the illustrious STRONG Veterans Act,” said Rep. Greg Murphy, M.D. “Ranking Member Bost and I introduced this bill to aid student veterans in their transition back to civilian life and bridge the mental health resource gap for the 850,000 veterans and beneficiaries who are currently enrolled in a VA education program. Our legislation will ensure that counseling and mental health support is available to our student veterans through free and confidential Vet Centers. There is nothing more important than the safety and well-being of our nation’s veterans, and I look forward to advancing our essential bill in the Senate.”
“I’m pleased my legislation H.R. 5029 was included in the STRONG Veterans Act and was approved by the full House,” said Rep. David Rouzer. “Along with a number of other important provisions to connect even more veterans to critical mental health resources, this package includes a bill I introduced to ensure the families of servicemembers and veterans who have died by suicide will not have to worry about enduring the difficult journey toward recovery alone.”
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive free, confidential support and crisis intervention available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, text to 838255 or chat online at http://VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat.
