Tom Harkin: “I appreciate the sensitivity of the Senator from Nevada, our distinguished majority leader, on this issue. Basically…”

“I appreciate the sensitivity of the Senator from Nevada, our distinguished majority leader, on this issue. Basically, what the bill does, again as I said, is to boost training for all Department of Veterans Affairs staff, contractors, and medical personnel, teaching them to identify risk factors for suicide and refer veterans to the appropriate mental health counseling and mental health centers. As I said at the outset, this has been the most bipartisan piece of legislation I can imagine. Senator Grassley and I introduced it in the Senate, appropriately since Joshua Omvig was from Iowa. We have 30 different cosponsors from both sides of the aisle. It was introduced in the other body by Congressman Leonard Boswell of Iowa, who is the Congressman from the district in which Joshua Omvig lived. In fact, it is that version of the bill we are trying to pass today. I may have misspoke earlier. He secured 152 bipartisan cosponsors of the bill. It passed the House in March by a vote of 423 to 0. No Republican objected over there. No one; 423, not a single dissenting vote. That is why I was so surprised and, quite frankly, dismayed when an objection was raised on the other side of the aisle preventing passage of the bill before the August recess. How many more veterans have committed suicide since that time who might have, through counseling, through outreach, through some way given the appropriate support services so they wouldn't have to commit suicide?”