HB 1738 Virginia House of Delegates · 2025 Regular Session

Veterans or military service members; deaths by suicide.

Summary
Deaths by suicide of veterans or military service members; inquiry by State Registrar of Vital Records; Department of Veterans Services annual report. Requires the State Registrar of Vital Records, when a death certificate is filed and lists suicide as the cause of death, to make an inquiry into whether the decedent was a veteran or military service member and to provide any information concerning the suicide of such veteran or military service member to the Department of Veterans Services. The bill also provides that the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services may request, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner shall deliver to the Commissioner, a copy of an autopsy report of a veteran or military service member whose cause and manner of death is determined to be a suicide. The bill also reestablishes the position of Suicide Prevention Coordinator as the Suicide Prevention Program and requires such Program to, in coordination with the State Police, compile and analyze data relating to such suicides to be included in the annual report submitted by the Department to the Governor and the General Assembly.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 4, 2025 Last action Feb 17, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 1 edit · Feb 17, 2025
MINOR
The bill was amended to refine the language describing who is covered by suicide prevention data collection requirements. The changes remove the specific enumeration of 'naval, and air service members' and replace it with bracketed text indicating optional inclusion of those terms, suggesting a decision was made to simplify the language while maintaining the same protective intent for all military service members.
Scope change
The scope of the bill remains focused on suicide prevention for veterans and military service members, but the specific terminology used to define covered individuals was streamlined.
DEFINITION

The phrase 'active military, naval, and air service members' was changed to '[active] military [, naval, and air]' in the bill text, indicating a formatting or drafting adjustment to the definition of covered service members.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Feb 4, 2025

How they voted

990
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 100
Feb 4, 2025
D Democratic51
51 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican49
48 Yea 1
97% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
22
Key actions
8
Committee
8
Amendments
3
Feb 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendments and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 5, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
upper
Feb 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed House (99-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (97-Y 0-N)
lower
Feb 3, 2025
Introduced
Engrossed by House as amended
lower
Feb 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
Appropriations Amendments agreed to
lower
Feb 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
Public Safety Amendments agreed to
lower
Jan 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported from Appropriations with amendment(s) (21-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (8-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 25, 2025
Committee
Assigned Approps sub: Transportation & Public Safety
lower
Jan 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported from Public Safety with amendment(s) and referred to Appropriations (22-Y 0-N)
lower
Jan 14, 2025
Committee
Referred from General Laws and referred to Public Safety (Voice Vote)
lower
Jan 4, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on General Laws
lower
1 primary · 13 co-sponsors

Sponsors