Joyce unveils bipartisan military suicide prevention legislation

A bipartisan bill introduced last week by U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) aims to bolster suicide prevention among America’s military service members.

“Preventing veteran and military suicides should be one of our nation’s top priorities,” Rep. Joyce said. “We have the responsibility to support our troops and ensure they have access to the assistance and mental health care they need.” 

Rep. Joyce sponsored the Military Suicide Prevention in the 21st Century Act, H.R. 8125, with lead cosponsor U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), which would direct the U.S. Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program to pre-program suicide prevention resources into smart devices issued to members of the U.S. Armed Forces, according to the text of the bill. 

H.R. 8125 is the U.S. House of Representatives’ version of the same-named S. 3919, introduced in June by U.S. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Tom Cotton (R-AR).

Rep. Joyce pointed out that 541 service members across the military’s active and reserve components died by suicide in 2018. “That is 541 too many,” he said. “I’m proud to introduce this bill with Congressman Panetta to ensure we are utilizing every tool available to … protect the men and women of our Armed Forces who sacrifice so much to defend us and our freedoms.”

If enacted, the measure would require the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to utilize technology proven to help service members cope with stress and easily access mental health resources, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Joyce’s office.

Specifically, the bill would require the DOD to pre-download an app called Virtual Hope Box and the National Suicide Hotlines onto service members’ government-issued smartphones. This would allow them to access resources during department-wide annual suicide prevention training. 

The proposed bill also would require DOD to identify new solutions for combating military suicide rates, according to the bill summary.

Robert Gebbia, chief executive officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Tony Coder, executive director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, endorsed the bill, which has been referred for consideration to the Armed Services Committee in each house of Congress.