HR0436 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0436 LRB098 12337 MST 46641 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It has come to the attention of the Illinois House of Representatives that, on average, 22 veterans commit suicide every day; this constitutes a very serious problem in every state, including Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Those individuals have fought in recent conflicts under very demanding and dangerous circumstances; and

WHEREAS, For many veterans, their re-entry into a stable and productive civilian life has caused unexpected mental and emotional problems, resulting in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other severe mental illnesses; and

WHEREAS, Medications are now available to mitigate the severity of those mental illnesses; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has an obligation to provide its veterans the opportunity to acquire such medications; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to develop a basic protocol which will provide direction on how best to make available such medications to veterans suffering from PTSD and other forms of severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, schizophrenia disorder, and bipolar disorders; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the chair and the minority spokesman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee shall create a subcommittee within the House Veterans' Affairs Committee that shall monitor the preparations of such protocol and periodically make reports to the House of Representatives, the Office of the Governor, the director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and the director of the Department of Veterans' Affairs not later than March 1, 2014.