[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 616. Mr. WARNER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2024 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the end of subtitle C of title VII, add the following:

     SEC. 727. PROGRAM TO ASSIST MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AT 
                   RISK OF SUICIDE.

       (a) Program Required.--Not later than 90 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, 
     in consultation with the Director of the Defense Health 
     Agency, shall develop and implement a centralized program to 
     monitor and provide assistance to members of the Armed Forces 
     at risk of suicide who have been recently discharged from 
     health care, as outlined in Recommendation 6.29 of the final 
     report issued by the Suicide Prevention and Response 
     Independent Review Committee.
       (b) Matters to Be Included.--The centralized program 
     required under subsection (a) shall specify the following:
       (1) The individual and agency responsible for conducting 
     follow-up with members of the Armed Forces at risk of 
     suicide.
       (2) The time when initial follow-up will occur.
       (3) The times when subsequent follow-ups will occur.
       (4) The manner in which such members will be contacted.
       (5) The process for documentation of follow-up attempts.
       (6) The procedures for ensuring the safety of the member if 
     the member is unreachable.
       (7) The processes for military medical treatment facilities 
     to link mortality data to health care delivery data--
       (A) to better identify settings and patients at higher risk 
     of suicide;
       (B) to further inform local suicide prevention strategies 
     for targeted high-risk groups; and
       (C) to ensure compliance with reporting and investigating 
     suicides occurring within 72 hours of discharge from a 
     hospital.
       (c) Members of the Armed Forces at Risk of Suicide 
     Defined.--In this section, the term ``members of the Armed 
     Forces at risk of suicide'' includes members of the Armed 
     Forces who have attempted suicide and members of the Armed 
     Forces who have been discharged as patients and who have been 
     clinically assessed as benefitting from follow-up support 
     related to suicide prevention.
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