Sen Tom Harkin: The Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act

[The Straight Story]

The Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act

As you may know, for more than a year, now, I have been working to pass the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act. This bill - which is named for a soldier from Grundy Center, Iowa, who took his own life after returning from Iraq - directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to step up screening, counseling and other mental health services for returning war veterans.

The aim of the bill is to reduce the shocking rate of suicide among our men and women retuning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The VA estimates that more than 5,000 veterans take their lives each year. Suicide rates are 35 percent higher for Iraq veterans than for the general population. And the Department of Defense recently reported that the Army is now seeing the highest rate of suicide since the Vietnam War.

This is a genuine crisis, and it requires an urgent, stepped-up response from the VA, which is exactly the purpose of my bill. Congressman Leonard Boswell introduced a companion version of the Joshua Omvig Act in the House, and it passed with a vote of 423 to zero. In early August, with strong bipartisan support, we were on the verge of passing the bill in the Senate.

But then we hit an unexpected snag. Out of the blue, Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma objected to the unanimous consent request. And his principal reason for doing so is completely baseless. He speculates that if we have mandatory screening of all veterans for suicide risk, the resulting medical data might be used to deny a veteran the right to purchase handguns.

As Senator Coburn, who is a medical doctor, should know, there are strict privacy laws that govern the doctor-patient relationship. Privacy laws prevent the release of identifiable information about any patient. There is an exception if the patient is a serious threat to himself or others, but no medical professional can refer an individual to the background check system that would limit access to firearms. This can only be done through judicial due process.

Bear in mind that the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act has received intense scrutiny, including two hearings in the House and three in the Senate. The bill has been strongly endorsed by the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled Veterans of America, and other veterans groups. So it is a travesty to have this bill held up, now, by a single Senator for reasons that are completely bogus.

I intend to continue to fight for the bill, and to overcome Senator Coburn's resistance, one way or another. Yesterday, I spoke at length on the floor of the Senate, responding directly to Senator Coburn. I was very pleased that Majority Leader Harry Reid, who was on the floor at the time, interrupted my remarks to make a remarkable public pledge. He pledged to work to overcome Senator Coburn's objection. And he said, and I quote, "We are going to find a way to pass this bill before we leave ."

Let me emphasize that the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act is strictly bipartisan legislation. As I said, it passed without dissent in the House. Our veterans urgently need the screening and counseling that this bill would require.

I intend to make my case on the floor as often as necessary, and to offer unanimous consent requests again and again. And I make the same pledge as Majority Leader Reid: I intend to find a way to pass the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act before the Senate adjourns at the end of the year. This is a matter of honoring the memory of Joshua Omvig. It is a matter of honoring the service and sacrifice of all our men and women in uniform.

http://harkin.senate.gov/