Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon (D, I-Utica/Rome) announced that she helped pass three bills on Monday to expand resources and support for veterans and their families.

“While we can never truly thank our veterans for all that they’ve done for us, we can ensure that they have the resources they need when they return home,” said Buttenschon, a member of the Assembly Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “This legislation specifically addresses the challenges that too many veterans face when they return home, including service-related mental health issues, trauma and homelessness.”

Tragically, rates of suicide for American veterans have risen sharply in recent decades. A 2021 Costs of War Project report found that over 30,000 active-duty service members and veterans of the War on Terror have died by suicide.^[1] To help address this alarming trend, Buttenschon helped pass legislation to increase the number of members of the Veterans’ Suicide Prevention Task Force from nine to 13 members (A.8728). She also co-sponsored and passed a bill to require the state Department of Health (DOH) to create a form for coroners and medical examiners to use to report the death of a veteran by suicide (A.8715). Finally, Buttenschon helped pass legislation to require temporary homeless shelters that are reimbursed by the state or receive state-administered grants or funds to ask applicants if they are military veterans (A.8729).

[1] www.nbcnews.com/news/military/9-11-military-suicides-dwarf-number-soldiers-killed-combat-n1271346