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Bill H.5458
SECTION 1. Chapter 6A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 105 the following section:-
Section 105A. (a) There is hereby established a veterans’ suicide mortality review and prevention council within the executive office of veterans’ services. The council shall be composed of 15 members to be appointed by the governor, including: 3 representatives of veteran service organizations; 3 mental health clinicians with experience in veteran care; 2 public health or epidemiology experts; 2 law enforcement or first responder representatives; 2 representatives from the executive office of veterans’ services; 1 member from the Massachusetts National Guard or Reserve; and 2 family members of veterans lost to suicide; provided, that not less than 5 of the members of the council shall be veterans, as defined by clause Forty-third of section 7 of chapter 4. Members shall serve staggered 3-year terms and may be reappointed for 1 additional term.
(b) The council shall: (i) review all veteran and active-duty military suicide deaths in the commonwealth, including circumstances, prior mental health or medical interventions and service utilization; (ii) identify trends, systemic gaps and risk factors affecting veteran populations; (iii) recommend prevention strategies, including legislation, program development and resource allocation; (iv) maintain confidentiality consistent with state and federal law while conducting case reviews; and (v) publish an annual public report summarizing aggregate findings and actionable recommendations.
(c) The executive office of veterans’ services shall provide staff, data access and administrative support to the council. The council may consult with outside experts or partner with academic institutions for research support.
(d) Annually, not later than December 31, the council shall submit a comprehensive report to the governor, the joint committee on veterans and federal affairs, the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate and the secretary of veterans’ services, which shall include: (i) aggregate statistics on veteran suicide deaths; (ii) identified systemic gaps or risk patterns; and (iii) recommendations for prevention programs, funding and legislative action.
(e) The council may accept state appropriations, federal grants and private donations for its operations. Priority funding shall be used for: (i) staffing and data collection; (ii) research and analysis; and (iii) outreach and implementation of recommended programs.
SECTION 2. This act shall be known as the Veterans’ Suicide Mortality Review and Prevention Act of 2026.
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