Kentucky lawmakers advance a bill intended to prevent military veteran suicides

Suicide prevention legislation focused on Kentucky's veterans started advancing Tuesday as lawmakers pursue a strategy meant to better serve those who joined the military.

The bill, with bipartisan backing, cleared the House Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee to advance to the full House. It's aimed at ending the scourge of military and veteran suicides, which occur at a rate far higher than in the general population in Kentucky and the nation. Supporters say statistics show more than 100 veterans took their lives annually in recent years in Kentucky.

Many services already exist, so the goal is to reduce the stigma of seeking help and better tailor services to meet the specific needs of people who served in the military, said Republican Rep. Michael Meredith.

“I think it’s connecting the dots to those services that already exist and finding out how we can improve those for the veteran population,” he told the committee.