[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2772 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2772

To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for the investigation 
  of suicides committed by members of the Armed Forces, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 13, 2008

  Mr. Lieberman (for himself and Mrs. Boxer) introduced the following 
   bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed 
                                Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for the investigation 
  of suicides committed by members of the Armed Forces, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. INVESTIGATIONS OF SUICIDES COMMITTED BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 
              FORCES.

    (a) Investigations Required.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 80 of title 10, United States 
        Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        section:
``Sec. 1567. Investigations of suicides committed by members of the 
              Armed Forces
    ``(a) In General.--In the event of a suicide by a member of the 
Armed Forces on active duty, the Secretary concerned shall provide for 
the conduct of an investigation into the suicide in accordance with 
this section.
    ``(b) Suicide Investigation Board.--(1) Each investigation into a 
suicide under this section shall be conducted by a board (to be known 
as a `suicide investigation board') established by the Secretary 
concerned for purposes of the investigation.
    ``(2) The head of a suicide investigation board under this 
subsection shall be a commissioned officer of the Armed Forces 
concerned on active duty in the grade of brigadier general or higher, 
or rear admiral (lower half) or higher in the case of the Navy, who is 
assigned for that purpose by the Secretary concerned.
    ``(3) Each suicide investigation board under this subsection shall 
consist of four additional commissioned officers on active duty, who 
are outside the chain of command of the member of the Armed Forces who 
committed suicide, who are assigned for that purpose by the Secretary 
concerned.
    ``(c) Investigations.--(1) The suicide investigation board 
established under subsection (b) shall conduct a thorough investigation 
of the causes contributing to the suicide, including an examination and 
assessment of actions that could have been taken to prevent the 
suicide.
    ``(2)(A) Each investigation under this subsection shall be 
conducted in accordance with such procedures as the Secretary concerned 
shall prescribe in regulations. The Secretary of Defense shall ensure, 
to the extent practicable, that the procedures prescribed for purposes 
of this paragraph are uniform across the military departments.
    ``(B) The procedures under subparagraph (A) shall include 
mechanisms to preserve and protect the privacy and confidentiality of 
individuals concerned with or participating in investigations under 
this section, and shall be separate from any criminal investigation.
    ``(C) The Secretary concerned shall take appropriate actions to 
ensure that members of the Armed Forces assigned to a board under this 
section are proficient with the procedures applicable to the board 
under this paragraph before their participation in a suicide 
investigation board.
    ``(3)(A) No person or authority may censure, reprimand, or admonish 
a board conducting an investigation under this section, or the head or 
any member of the board, with respect to the actions of the board in 
conducting the investigation or with the findings or recommendations of 
the board as a result of the investigation.
    ``(B) No person or authority may attempt to coerce, or by any 
unauthorized means, influence the action of a board conducting an 
investigation under this section, or the head or any member of the 
board, in reaching the findings or recommendations of the board as a 
result of the investigation.
    ``(4) A board's investigation of a suicide under this section 
shall, to the extent practicable, be completed not later than 30 days 
after the date of the suicide.
    ``(d) Construction With Other Investigations.--The investigation of 
a suicide under this section is in addition to any other investigation, 
including any investigation for criminal purposes, otherwise authorized 
or required by law.
    ``(e) Reports on Investigations.--(1) Each board conducting an 
investigation under this section into the suicide of a member of the 
Armed Forces shall submit to the Secretary concerned reports as 
follows:
            ``(A) An interim report, not later than 30 days after the 
        date of the suicide of the member, setting forth the 
        preliminary findings of the board as a result of the 
        investigation as of the date of such report.
            ``(B) A final report, not later than 60 days after the date 
        of the suicide of the member, setting forth the final findings 
        and recommendations of the board as a result of the 
        investigation.
    ``(2) The recommendations of a board under paragraph (1)(B) may 
include such recommendations as the board considers appropriate for 
actions to be taken in order to reduce the incidence of suicide in 
members of the Armed Forces.
    ``(3) A board conducting an investigation may at any time submit to 
the Secretary concerned such other findings or recommendations as the 
board considers appropriate in order to reduce the incidence of suicide 
in members of the Armed Forces.
    ``(4) A report under this subsection may not be treated as a public 
document and, except as provided in subsection (f), may not be released 
to the public.
    ``(f) Public Summaries of Reports on Investigations.--(1) Not later 
than 60 days after the receipt of a final report of a board under 
subsection (e)(1)(B) on an investigation under this section, the 
Secretary concerned shall make available to the public a summary of the 
report, including the findings and recommendation of the board as a 
result of the investigation. The summary shall, upon the request of any 
individual concerned with or participating in the investigation, redact 
any personal information of the individual, and shall redact such other 
personal and other information as the Secretary concerned considers 
appropriate to preserve the privacy, confidentiality, and integrity of 
the proceedings of the investigation and of investigations generally 
under this section.
    ``(2) The Secretary concerned shall permit public comment on each 
summary made public under paragraph (1) during the 45-day period 
beginning on the date such summary is made public.
    ``(3) The Secretary concerned shall provide for the review of any 
public comments received on a summary under paragraph (2) by such 
independent party as the Secretary shall select for purposes of the 
review.
    ``(g) Department of Defense-Wide Actions.--(1) The Secretary 
concerned shall transmit each report submitted to such Secretary under 
subsection (e)(1)(B), and any report submitted to such Secretary under 
subsection (e)(3), to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health 
Affairs.
    ``(2) The Assistant Secretary shall take appropriate actions to 
ensure the dissemination throughout the Department of Defense of any 
findings and recommendations in the reports submitted to the Assistant 
Secretary under paragraph (1) that the Assistant Secretary considers 
appropriate to reduce the incidence of suicide in members of the Armed 
Forces.
    ``(3) The Assistant Secretary shall take appropriate actions to 
ensure the implementation of the findings and recommendations 
disseminated under paragraph (2). Such actions shall include the 
following:
            ``(A) The establishment and maintenance of an electronic 
        database for monitoring the implementation of such findings and 
        recommendations.
            ``(B) A requirement that all officials responsible for 
        implementing such recommendations update the Assistant 
        Secretary, not less often than once every six months, on the 
        current status of the implementation of such recommendations.
    ``(4) Not less often than once every six months, each Secretary 
concerned shall, in coordination with the Assistant Secretary, update 
any programs and activities of the department concerned relating to the 
prevention of suicide in members of the Armed Forces in order to ensure 
that such programs and activities incorporate the recommendations of 
investigations conducted under this section and such other matters as 
are appropriate to reduce the incidence of suicide in members of the 
Armed Forces.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 80 of such title is amended by adding at 
        the end the following new item:

``1567. Investigations of suicides committed by members of the Armed 
                            Forces.''.
    (b) Regulations.--The regulations required under section 1567 of 
title 10, United States Code (as added by subsection (a)), shall be 
prescribed not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
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