{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=decc31ce-54da-4069-b41b-6ec115c84326", "Murkowski Introduces Bill to Improve Vets Mental Health Care", "2014-11-17", "2014", "2014-11", "Republican", "House", "AK", "Lisa Murkowski", "M001153", "www.murkowski.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.17.14\n\t\t\t Murkowski Introduces Bill to Improve Vets Mental Health Care \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Senator Joins Bipartisan Group to Fight the \u201cHome Front War\u201d Against Depression, Suicide\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t Senator Lisa Murkowski today co-sponsored The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Bill of 2014 \u2013 bipartisan legislation introduced this afternoon to offer several critical measures to improve mental health care and suicide prevention resources for American men and women in uniform. The bill would require a third-party evaluation of existing suicide prevention programs at the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to gauge their effectiveness and make recommendations for consolidation, elimination, or improvement.\r\nIt would also provide for a new website that offers veterans information regarding available mental healthcare services; create a pilot loan repayment program for VA psychiatrists; and improve the exchange of training, best practices, and other resources among the VA, Veteran Service Organizations (VSO), and non-profit mental health organizations to enhance collaboration of suicide prevention efforts.\u00a0 Senator Murkowski joined other original co-sponsors Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Richard Burr (R-NC), Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) in introducing the legislation this afternoon.\r\n\u201cAn estimated 22 veterans commit suicide every day, a shocking and unacceptable reality,\u201d said Senator Murkowski with her co-sponsors Senators John McCain, Blumenthal, Blunt, Burr and Manchin. \u201cWe are proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to improve and modernize the suicide prevention programs and resources available to our fighting men and women. When enacted, this bill will provide additional resources for veterans who suffer from mental health disorders that place them at higher risk of suicide, so that we can bolster our efforts in the home front war against depression and suicide.\u201d\r\nSenator Lisa Murkowski has made serving Alaska\u2019s and America\u2019s soldiers returning home a core focus of her legislative agenda \u2013 particularly their acute medical and mental health needs.\u00a0 Many of the priorities she has drafted into legislation are reflected in today\u2019s legislation, including S.2357 The Department of Defense Suicide Tracking Act and S. 2182, the Suicide Prevention for America\u2019s Veterans Act.\r\nThe bill was named for\u00a0Clay Hunt, a Marine veteran who committed suicide in March 2011 at the age of 28. Clay enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 2005 and deployed to Anbar Province, near Fallujah, in January 2007. He was shot in the wrist by a sniper\u2019s bullet that barely missed his head, earning him a Purple Heart. Clay recuperated at Twenty Nine Palms, CA and then graduated from Marine Corps Scout Sniper School in March 2008. He redeployed to southern Afghanistan a few weeks later. His unit returned in late October of 2008 and he was honorably discharged from the Marines in April 2009. After returning home,\u00a0Clay suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and struggled with inadequate care at his local VA hospital before taking his own life.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n    \n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n     \n\t\n \n\t\n    \n    \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t  \n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=decc31ce-54da-4069-b41b-6ec115c84326"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4883680269122124, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}