Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. BERGMAN. Madam Speaker, Dr. Roe is right, November 15 is fast approaching here where it is the opening of deer season in Michigan, so we anxiously await that.

Madam Speaker, S. 785, the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Improvement Act of 2019, will save veterans' lives, and I rise in unequivocal support of this legislation.

The flame of my passion to end veteran suicide was lit long before I was elected to Congress, starting with Vietnam to the global war on terror.

I would like to just take one extra opportunity to, again, welcome home my fellow veterans from Vietnam. You served your country in tough times, and we owe you that again and again for waiting so long to thank you.

Because of that, in June 2019, I proudly introduced the Improve Well- Being for Veterans Act, which proposed a grant program that would allow the VA to support the nationwide network of community organizations already providing lifesaving services to local veterans and their families. And it would be effective in reaching the 60-plus percent of veterans who die by suicide but are not within the VA system of care. The goal was to try something different when the status quo was not working. That was the driver here among all of us who chose to cosponsor the Improve Act.

Within a 6-month period we gained over 250 bipartisan cosponsors, gained VSO support, and welcomed VA Secretary Wilkie to testify before our committee.

Now, the best possible version of this legislation lies at the heart of S. 785, which I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support.

For over a decade, and despite billions of dollars spent within the VA trying their hardest, we have heard the same statistic over and over again, 20 veterans die by their own hand every day. That is why this new approach and innovative approach and a different way of looking at things, maybe from the outside in, as opposed to the inside out, is long overdue. And I am excited to stay engaged and work with the administration to ensure that it makes a difference, especially for the veterans in our rural and remote communities that are so vulnerable.

You know, when you come in as a freshman--and I love to say that, being a freshman at the age of 70 a few years ago. I learned as a marine early on, you look for good leadership, and I will tell you, I found it in Dr. Roe as the Chairman of Veterans' Affairs in my first term.

Madam Speaker, I just wanted to say thank you to Dr. Roe for his leadership and for dropping the gavel on time every committee hearing, because that was one of his first bits of guidance to us as a committee, and he walked the talk. I thank him for his leadership. We are going to miss him, but he is not far away, and I have his phone number.

Madam Speaker, I would also like to thank the 250-plus bipartisan cosponsors, and also both the majority and the minority staffs for working so hard to make this happen, and the VSOs. I thank my co-lead Chrissy Houlahan, Senator Boozman, Chairman Moran, Ranking Member Tester, Chairman Takano, and, once again, to Dr. Roe.

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