Bill Text: TX HCR148 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Designating June as Veteran Suicide and PTSD Awareness Month for a 10-year period beginning in 2019.
Sponsorship: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 5-1)
Status: (Passed) 2019-06-14 - Signed by the Governor [HCR148 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HCR148-Enrolled.html
| H.C.R. No. 148 | ||
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| WHEREAS, The veterans of the armed forces of the United | ||
| States experience post-traumatic stress disorder and commit | ||
| suicide at rates far higher than the general population; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The men and women who bear arms in our defense | ||
| regularly face traumatic situations that are not necessarily unique | ||
| to military life but are certainly more prevalent, ranging from | ||
| violent and life-threatening experiences to sexual harassment and | ||
| assault; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Between 7 and 8 percent of the general population | ||
| experience PTSD at some point in their lives, but veterans are | ||
| afflicted at rates that range from 12 percent for those who took | ||
| part in the Gulf War to between 11 and 20 percent for veterans of | ||
| Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom; approximately 15 | ||
| percent of Vietnam veterans are currently diagnosed with PTSD, and | ||
| nearly a third of them have experienced the condition over the | ||
| course of their lifetimes; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The aftermath of trauma can manifest itself as | ||
| depression, outbursts of anger, and substance abuse, but the most | ||
| tragic consequence is suicide; from 2008 to 2016, more than 6,000 | ||
| veterans each year took their own lives; moreover, in 2016, the | ||
| suicide rate for veterans was 26.1 per 100,000 as opposed to 17.4 | ||
| for non-veteran adults, when adjusted for age and gender; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Suicide and other consequences of PTSD affect not | ||
| only the veterans themselves, but also their families, friends, and | ||
| communities; in an effort to address this urgent problem, the U.S. | ||
| Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, the | ||
| Department of Homeland Security, the National Action Alliance for | ||
| Suicide Prevention, and many veterans and private sector | ||
| organizations are working to expand treatment and prevention | ||
| services; these initiatives can be furthered by increasing public | ||
| awareness of the issue and by engaging the active support of a broad | ||
| spectrum of concerned citizens; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Americans owe those men and women who sacrificed so | ||
| much on our behalf an eternal debt of gratitude, and it is essential | ||
| that our veterans receive the assistance they need to enhance their | ||
| well-being and their ability to live long and fulfilling lives; | ||
| now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby designate June as Veteran Suicide and PTSD Awareness Month; | ||
| and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section | ||
| 391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect | ||
| until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally | ||
| passed by the legislature. | ||
| Landgraf | ||
| Flynn | ||
| Miller | ||
| Tinderholt | ||
| Blanco | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 148 was adopted by the House on May | ||
| 3, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 141, Nays 1, 2 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 148 was adopted by the Senate on May | ||
| 22, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: __________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| __________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
