H.R. 9376

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9376 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9376

To amend title 38, United States Code, to codify the National Veteran 
Suicide Prevention Annual Report and to direct the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to study the effects of the Chaplain Service of the 
Department on the risk of suicide among veterans.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 18, 2026

Mr. Valadao introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend title 38, United States Code, to codify the National Veteran 
Suicide Prevention Annual Report and to direct the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs to study the effects of the Chaplain Service of the 
Department on the risk of suicide among veterans.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Trauma Outreach, Understanding, and 
Resiliency through Spirituality Act'' or the ``TOURS Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL VETERAN SUICIDE PREVENTION ANNUAL REPORT: 
CODIFICATION; ANNUAL BRIEFING.

Section 1720F of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (l) as subsection (m); and
(2) by inserting, after subsection (k), the following new 
subsection (l):
``(l) Annual Report; Briefing.--(1) The Secretary, acting through 
the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the Department, 
shall produce an annual report on suicide prevention.
``(2) The Secretary shall submit each such report to the Committees 
on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives.
``(3) The Secretary shall provide an annual briefing on the most 
recent such report to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate 
and House of Representatives.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECT OF CHAPLAIN SERVICE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
AFFAIRS ON RISK OF SUICIDE BY VETERANS: STUDY; REPORT.

(a) Study Required.--Not later than January 1, 2027, the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a two-year study on the relationship 
between--
(1) veterans' engagement with the Chaplain Service and 
other faith-based programs of the Department; and
(2) the risk of suicide among veterans.
(b) Scope.--In carrying out the study under this section, the 
Secretary shall--
(1) identify and define measurable categories of such 
engagement, including group activities, outreach events, and 
non-confidential interactions;
(2) track veterans' use of mental health services that 
involve chaplains;
(3) track veterans' use of faith-based programs of the 
Department;
(4) collect and analyze data on such engagement across 
facilities of the Department;
(5) assess correlations, if any, between such engagement 
and mental health outcomes, including suicide-related 
behaviors; and
(6) identify best practices and programs that demonstrate 
positive outcomes.
(c) Limitations.--In carrying out the study, the Secretary shall 
ensure that--
(1) veterans are informed of such data collection;
(2) no data is collected or reported that would compromise 
the confidentiality of medical records or protected religious 
communications; and
(3) use of chaplaincy services remains voluntary.
(d) Reports.--The Secretary shall submit to the Committees on 
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report 
regarding such study not later than 90 days after the end of each year 
of the study. Elements of each such report include the following:
(1) A summary of data collected.
(2) An analysis of trends and outcomes.
(3) A list of programs that the Secretary determines have a 
measurable effect on the risk of suicide.
(4) Recommendations of the Secretary regarding how to 
improve data collection regarding, and resource allocation for, 
suicide prevention.
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