I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2836 

To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 

to improve and expand suicide prevention and community healing and 

response training under the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 11, 2009 

Mr. HODES (for himself and Ms. SHEA-PORTER) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

Year 2008 to improve and expand suicide prevention 

and community healing and response training under the 

Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as ‘‘The National Guard and 

5 Reservist Suicide Prevention and Community Response 

6 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF SUICIDE PREVENTION AND COMMU2 NITY HEALING AND RESPONSE TRAINING 

3 UNDER THE YELLOW RIBBON REINTEGRA4 TION PROGRAM. 

5 Section 582 of the National Defense Authorization 

6 Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110–181; 122 Stat. 

7 122) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (h)— 

9 (A) by striking paragraph (3); and 

10 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (4) 

11 through (15) as paragraphs (3) through (14), 

12 respectively; and 

13 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub14 section: 

15 ‘‘(i) SUICIDE PREVENTION AND COMMUNITY HEAL16 ING AND RESPONSE PROGRAM.— 

17 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—As part of the Yellow 

18 Ribbon Reintegration Program, the Office for Re19 integration Programs shall establish a program to 

20 provide National Guard and Reserve members, their 

21 families, and their communities with training in sui22 cide prevention and community healing and response 

23 to suicide. 

24 ‘‘(2) DESIGN.—In establishing the program 

25 under paragraph (1), the Office for Reintegration 

26 Programs shall— 


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1 ‘‘(A) consult with— 

2 ‘‘(i) officials associated with the ‘Con3 nect’ program of the National Alliance on 

4 Mental Illness New Hampshire; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) the adjutant general of each 

6 state, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 

7 the District of Columbia, Guam, and the 

8 Virgin Islands; and 

9 ‘‘(B) model the program after the ‘Con10 nect’ program of the National Alliance on Men11 tal Illness New Hampshire. 

12 ‘‘(3) OPERATION.— 

13 ‘‘(A) SUICIDE PREVENTION TRAINING.— 

14 The Office for Reintegration Programs shall 

15 provide National Guard and Reserve members 

16 with training in suicide prevention. Such train17 ing shall include— 

18 ‘‘(i) describing the warning signs for 

19 suicide and teaching effective strategies for 

20 prevention and intervention; 

21 ‘‘(ii) examining the influence of mili22 tary culture on risk and protective factors 

23 for suicide; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) engaging in interactive case sce2 narios and role plays to practice effective 

3 intervention strategies. 

4 ‘‘(B) COMMUNITY HEALING AND RE5 SPONSE TRAINING.—The Office for Reintegra6 tion Programs shall provide the families and 

7 communities of National Guard and Reserve 

8 members with training in responses to suicide 

9 that promote individual and community healing. 

10 Such training shall include— 

11 ‘‘(i) enhancing collaboration among 

12 community members and local service pro13 viders to create an integrated, coordinated 

14 community response to suicide; 

15 ‘‘(ii) communicating best practices for 

16 preventing suicide, including safe mes17 saging, appropriate memorial services, and 

18 media guidelines; 

19 ‘‘(iii) addressing the impact of suicide 

20 on the military and the larger community, 

21 and the increased risk that can result; and 

22 ‘‘(iv) managing resources to assist key 

23 community and military service providers 

24 in helping the families, friends, and fellow 


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1 soldiers of a suicide victim through the 

2 processes of grieving and healing. 

3 ‘‘(C) COLLABORATION WITH CENTERS OF

4 EXCELLENCE.—The Office for Reintegration 

5 Programs, in consultation with the Defense 

6 Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health 

7 and Traumatic Brain Injury, shall collect and 

8 analyze ‘lessons learned’ and suggestions from 

9 State National Guard and Reserve organiza10 tions with existing or developing suicide preven11 tion and community response programs. 

12 ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

13 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

14 this subsection $15,000,000 for each fiscal year be15 ginning with fiscal year 2010.’’. 

Æ 


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