HJR137 Alabama 2019 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Neil RaffertyRepresentative

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2019

Title

Veterans' suicide, task force established

Summary

HJR137 would create a nine-member Task Force on Veterans' Suicide in Alabama to study the causes and prevention of veteran suicides and issue recommendations to the Legislature within two years.

What This Bill Does

It establishes the Task Force on Veterans' Suicide, with specific appointment roles including a chair from the Department of Veterans' Affairs. The group will investigate why veterans in Alabama may commit suicide and how to prevent it, then provide findings and possible legislative recommendations to the Legislature within two years. Members are unpaid except for travel reimbursement, and the Department of Veterans' Affairs will provide administrative support. The task force will be dissolved after it submits its final report.

Who It Affects

• Returning Alabama veterans of the U.S. military and their families, who may benefit from better understanding of risk factors and potential prevention policies.
• State government and agencies (Department of Veterans' Affairs, Department of Mental Health, Department of Public Health, Department of Human Resources) and legislative leadership (Speaker, Senate President, and their minority leaders, plus the Governor) who will appoint members, coordinate diversity goals, and use the task force's report for potential actions.

Key Provisions

• Creates the Task Force on Veterans' Suicide to study causes and prevention and to make legislative recommendations.
• Nine members: 1) Department of Veterans' Affairs representative as chair; 2) House Speaker’s appointee; 3) House Minority Leader’s appointee; 4) Senate President’s appointee; 5) Senate Minority Leader’s appointee; 6) Department of Mental Health representative; 7) Department of Public Health representative; 8) Department of Human Resources representative; 9) Governor’s appointee.
• Appointments must reflect diversity of gender, race, and geographic areas of Alabama.
• Members serve without compensation except travel reimbursement as allowed by state law or policies.
• Department of Veterans' Affairs provides administrative and other support to the task force.
• The task force must submit a report with findings and any legislative recommendations to the Legislature within two years of enactment.
• The task force dissolves after submitting its report.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Resolutions, Legislative