LINCOLN- State lawmakers are looking to boost action by recent governors to combat suicide in Nebraska through new legislation with an extra focus on veterans and their families. Legislative Bill 414, by State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln, would house a new suicide mortality review team in the Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The team would review the circumstances around any suicides in the state generally, with an extra focus on veterans with the location. Dungan called the bill a “first step” toward working to prevent future suicides and said it would “help Nebraska as a whole.”

LB 414, which advanced 37-0, follows efforts from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, seeking similar reviews at the state and community level. Former Gov. Pete Ricketts, now in the U.S. Senate, joined the “Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans and their Families” in 2022. Nebraska joined the suicide mortality review efforts under Gov. Jim Pillen in 2024.

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