Interior Feature

Federal Public Policy Initiatives

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On December 23, 2009, the AFSP Board of Directors approved the recommendations from the AFSP Public Policy Council regarding legislative and regulatory priorities to be pursued at the federal level in calendar year 2010. AFSP/SPAN USA public policy staff will work with AFSP/SPAN USA national volunteers, chapter field advocates and AFSP staff to attain the following goals and objectives. Additional priority legislative and regulatory issues are being reviewed. We expect to add additional issue areas over the coming year.

In addition, AFSP/SPAN USA Chapters and Field Advocates are currently being surveyed on priorities at the state and local level for 2010. Information will be shared as soon as the survey information is compiled and reviewed and approved by the AFSP Public Policy Council.

The Public Policy Council recommended the following federal public policy priorities for calendar year 2010. You may click each priority to view and print a public policy issue brief on the topic. For a fact sheet on suicide, please click here.

Issues on which AFSP/SPAN USA will take a leading role, initiating advocacy and engaging others to support our goals:

  1. Reauthorization and appropriations at the maximum attainable level for Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act (GLSMA) programs.
  2. Strengthening legislation on veteran and military suicide prevention to promote longitudinal research on the rates and causes of military suicide, require better reporting by the Department of Defense and the Veterans' Administration, develop anti-stigma campaigns and continue to expand suicide prevention programs to assist members, returning veterans and their family members.
  3. Legislation and other policy directives to encourage the National Institutes of Health Agencies (such as the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism, and National Institute on Drug Abuse) to invest more substantially in research related to suicide, suicide prevention, and survivors of suicide loss or suicide attempts.

Issues on which AFSP/SPAN USA will take an active supporting role, conducting advocacy in concert with like-minded coalitions:

  1. Appropriations at the maximum attainable level for the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS).
  2. Implementation of Mental Health Parity and Health Insurance Reform.
  3. Reauthorization of and appropriatons for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
  4. Legislation that aims to reduce the high rate of suicide of Native American Youth.
  5. Legislative and research issues to prevent suicide within the LGBT community. 
  6. Legislation to allow the Golden Gate Bridge Authority (and other local jurisdictions) to use federal funds for bridge suicide prevention barriers.
  7. Legislation that aims to reducde bullying and cyber-bullying.
  8. Legislation to establish Depression Centers of Excellence.


Click Here to Download These Federal Public Policy Priorities

Click Here for Archived Federal Public Policy Priorities