State Representative Ben Diamond (D- St. Petersburg) today received unanimous support for CS/HB 1315 in the House State Affairs Committee, its final committee stop. This legislation will establish a pilot program directing the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs to offer each county and city veteran service officer specialized training and certification in preventing veteran suicide. Veteran service officers participating in the program will receive training to provide emergency crisis counseling for veterans experiencing a mental health crisis. The bill will now head to the House floor, where it will be considered for final passage.
In response to the passage of CS/HB 1315, Representative Diamond offered the following statement:
“I am honored by the bipartisan support our Veteran Suicide Pilot Program legislation has received this Legislative Session. Many veterans in Florida and across our nation suffer from invisible wounds of war and we have a moral obligation to provide the best quality care to those who put their lives on the line for our freedom. At every level of government, we must honor our commitment to veterans and find solutions that will help end the veteran suicide epidemic.”
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive free, confidential support and crisis intervention available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Call 1–800–273–8255 and Press 1, text to 838255 or chat online at Http://VeteransCrisisLine.Net/Chat.) Veterans in Florida can call the Florida Veterans Support Line at 1-844-MyFLVet (693-5838) or 2-1-1.
