Save Our Ser­vice­mem­bers Act of 2021

Save Our Servicemembers Act of 2021

This bill requires the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness within the Department of Defense (DOD) to evaluate and standardize DOD's suicide prevention efforts.

Specifically, the bill directs the Defense Suicide Prevention Office to collaborate with each military department to (1) develop and implement a process to ensure that individual nonclinical suicide prevention efforts are assessed for effectiveness, and (2) develop consistent suicide-related definitions for use throughout DOD. The bill also requires the use of such suicide-related definitions in any updated policies of DOD or each military department.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3013 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3013

  To require the evaluation and standardization of suicide prevention 
     efforts by the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 20, 2021

  Ms. Ernst (for herself, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. 
    Crapo, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. 
   Gillibrand, Ms. Collins, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Scott of Florida, Ms. 
 Hirono, Mr. Daines, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Risch, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Blunt, 
   Mr. King, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. 
 Sullivan, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Rubio, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. 
 Wyden, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Warner, and Mrs. Hyde-Smith) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the evaluation and standardization of suicide prevention 
     efforts by the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Save Our Servicemembers Act of 
2021''.

SEC. 2. EVALUATION AND STANDARDIZATION OF SUICIDE PREVENTION EFFORTS BY 
              THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

    Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness shall--
            (1) direct the Defense Suicide Prevention Office to 
        collaborate with each Secretary of a military department--
                    (A) to develop and implement a process to ensure 
                that individual non-clinical suicide prevention efforts 
                are assessed for effectiveness among members of the 
                Armed Forces; and
                    (B) to develop consistent suicide-related 
                definitions to be used throughout the Department of 
                Defense;
            (2) require the use of suicide-related definitions 
        developed under paragraph (1)(B) to be used in any updated 
        policies of the Department of Defense or any military 
        department; and
            (3) enhance collaboration between the Defense Suicide 
        Prevention Office and the Psychological Health Center of 
        Excellence on the production of annual suicide reports to 
        minimize duplication of efforts by the Department of Defense.
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