Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL) will introduce three bills designed to aid America's veterans and active service members in the Armed Forces' healthcare, benefits, and safety standards.
First, the Veteran Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to gather data on veterans who had perished by suicide or drug overdose in the past five years. The data would then go toward improving physical and mental healthcare for veterans, a plan endorsed by AMVETS and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
Rep. Buchanan's first bill, in essence, combines two previous bills he demanded inclusion in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) earlier in June, the Treating Invisible Wounds on Base Act and Safe Disposal for Service members Act. The Invisible Wounds Act sought to identify potential flaws in the military's mental healthcare system and propose solutions in response to the tragically high number of veteran suicides. The Safe Disposal Act demanded the installation of drop boxes for unused prescription medication used by service members.
The second new bill Rep. Buchanan seeks to introduce is the Restoring Earned Veterans Benefits Act. This would allow veterans who return to active duty to automatically restart their veterans' benefits again after leaving the service, rather than having to sign back up for them.
Finally, the DRIVE SAFE Act would evaluate the efficiency of installing black box data devices (like the kind on airplanes) into tactical vehicles in order to prevent future accidents. Notably, this third act seemed inspired by the tragic death of Army Specialist Nicolas Panipinto, who was killed in a November 2019 training accident in South Korea when his vehicle overturned. Panipinto was a native of Buchanan's district, which spurred him and Panipinto's mother into demanding military training reforms that ultimately became law in 2021.
In his press release, Buchanan reiterated his commitment to aiding American veterans, providing "all the care and respect a grateful nation can offer every day."
"As someone who represents over 64,000 veterans in Florida’s 16th district, serving our nation’s heroes is one of my top priorities. The brave men and women who served our country in uniform deserve all the care and respect a grateful nation can offer every day – not just on Independence Day," said Buchanan.
