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| 1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The General Assembly is concerned with the health, | ||||||
| 3 | safety,
and welfare of all returning veterans of this country's | ||||||
| 4 | armed forces to
Illinois; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, The rate of mental health problems and suicides | ||||||
| 6 | for
members of this country's armed forces remains startlingly | ||||||
| 7 | high; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Between 2005 and 2011, the veteran suicide rate in | ||||||
| 9 | Illinois was more than twice
the rate for civilians; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, 17.72% of all suicide deaths in Illinois are | ||||||
| 11 | veterans; therefore, be it
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| 12 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 13 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
| 14 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Task Force | ||||||
| 15 | on Veterans' Suicide to investigate the causes to and | ||||||
| 16 | prevention of suicides among returning Illinois veterans of the | ||||||
| 17 | United States Military; and be it further
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| 18 | RESOLVED, The Task Force shall consist of 8 members as | ||||||
| 19 | follows: | ||||||
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| 1 | 1) one member appointed by The Speaker of the House of
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| 2 | Representatives, and this member shall act as the chair; | ||||||
| 3 | 2) one member
appointed by the Minority Leader of the House | ||||||
| 4 | of Representatives; | ||||||
| 5 | 3) one
member appointed by the President of the Senate; | ||||||
| 6 | 4) one member appointed
by the Senate Minority leader; | ||||||
| 7 | 5) one representative from the Department
of Veterans' | ||||||
| 8 | Affairs, chosen by the Director of Veterans' Affairs; | ||||||
| 9 | 6) one
representative from the Department of Military | ||||||
| 10 | Affairs, chosen by the
Director of Military Affairs; | ||||||
| 11 | 7) one representative from the Department of
Public Health, | ||||||
| 12 | chosen by the Director of Public Health; and | ||||||
| 13 | 8) one
representative of the Department of Human Services, | ||||||
| 14 | chosen by the
Secretary of Human Services; and be it further
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| 15 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall meet periodically at | ||||||
| 16 | the discretion
of the chair to investigate and form | ||||||
| 17 | recommendations concerning the
issue of suicides among | ||||||
| 18 | Illinois veterans; and be it further
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| 1 | RESOLVED, That the Department of Veterans' Affairs shall | ||||||
| 2 | provide administrative and other support to the Task Force; and | ||||||
| 3 | be it further | ||||||
| 4 | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Task Force on Veteran' Suicide | ||||||
| 5 | shall present
a report of its findings, which
shall include its | ||||||
| 6 | recommendations for legislation, if any, to the Illinois House | ||||||
| 7 | of Representatives and the Senate on or before January 1, 2015.
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