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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.
Summary
- Codifies the National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, requiring the VA Secretary to produce and submit it annually to Congress with annual briefings to the Veterans Affairs committees.
- Directs the VA Secretary to conduct a two-year study beginning by January 1, 2027, on the relationship between veterans' engagement with VA Chaplain Service and faith-based programs and the risk of suicide among veterans.
- Requires the study to track and analyze veterans' use of chaplain services and faith-based programs across VA facilities, including group activities, outreach events, and mental health service interactions.
- Requires the study to assess correlations between engagement with chaplain services and mental health outcomes, including suicide-related behaviors.
- Requires the study to identify best practices and programs that demonstrate positive outcomes in reducing suicide risk among veterans.
- Mandates that the study protects confidentiality of medical records and religious communications, and that chaplaincy services remain voluntary for veterans.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
1 cosponsor
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to David G. Valadao’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for David G. Valadao → · Outside spending →
Actions (3)
- Jun 30, 2026 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. · house
- Jun 18, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. · house
- Jun 18, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
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. <all>
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