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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, It has come to the attention of the Illinois House 
3of Representatives that, on average, 22 veterans commit suicide 
4every day; this constitutes a very serious problem in every 
5state, including Illinois; and
  
 
6    WHEREAS, Those individuals have fought in recent conflicts 
7under very demanding and dangerous circumstances; and
  
 
8    WHEREAS, For many veterans, their re-entry into a stable 
9and productive civilian life has caused unexpected mental and 
10emotional problems, resulting in Post-Traumatic Stress 
11Disorder (PTSD) and other severe mental illnesses; and
  
 
12    WHEREAS, Medications are now available to mitigate the 
13severity of those mental illnesses; and

  
 
14    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has an obligation to provide 
15its veterans the opportunity to acquire such medications; 
16therefore, be it
  
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
18NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
19we urge the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Department of 
20Healthcare and Family Services to develop a basic protocol 
 
 
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1which will provide direction on how best to make available such 
2medications to veterans suffering from PTSD and other forms of 
3severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, schizophrenia 
4disorder, and bipolar disorders; and be it further
  
 
5    RESOLVED, That the Chair and the Minority Spokesman of the 
6House Veterans Affairs Committee shall monitor the 
7preparations of such a protocol and shall make its report to 
8the House of Representatives, the Office of the Governor, the 
9Director of Healthcare and Family Services, and the Director of 
10Veterans Affairs not later than March 1, 2014.