Congress designates day to honor veterans lost to suicide
H.Res. 737 — Supporting the designation of September 22 as "National Veterans Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day" and recognizing the Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Flag. · Filed by Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) · 6 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 18, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This resolution designates September 22 as 'National Veterans Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day' and officially recognizes the Suicide Awareness and Remembrance (SAR) Flag as a national symbol. The bill commits Congress to raising awareness about veteran suicide (which kills over 20 veterans daily) and directs federal buildings to display the SAR Flag year-round alongside the American and POW/MIA flags.
Why we flagged it
This is a symbolic resolution establishing a national observance day and recognizing a flag design. It carries no appropriations, regulatory authority, or enforcement mechanism—it is purely a statement of congressional intent and commitment to raise awareness about veteran suicide.
What the text implies
- The commitment to post the SAR Flag on all federal buildings 365 days per year may require administrative guidance and coordination across federal agencies, though no funding or enforcement mechanism is specified.
- Designating a specific day and flag may increase media coverage and public dialogue around veteran suicide, potentially increasing demand for mental health services—which could expose gaps in existing VA and DoD mental health capacity.
- The resolution honors Kevin W. Hertell (the flag's creator) and his cousin Robert McRae Dean, but does not create any financial benefit or special status for them; it is a public recognition of their contribution to suicide awareness.
Who it affects
Veterans and their families benefit from increased public awareness of a critical mental health crisis, reduced stigma around seeking treatment, and a tangible national symbol of commitment to suicide prevention. The general public benefits from elevated awareness of veteran mental health needs and a clearer signal that mental health support is a national priority.
Named in the bill
U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Armed Services, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Kevin W. Hertell, Robert McRae Dean, Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Flag (SAR Flag)
Where it stands
6 cosponsors: 4 Republicans, 2 Democrats.
- Sep 18, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and House Committee on Armed Services · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jul 6, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Congress designates day to honor veterans lost to suicide” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hres737 Report an error
The week in bills
One email, Sunday: what Congress passed, what it changed, and who paid.
One link arrives to confirm the address. It is used for this email and nothing else, and every issue carries an unsubscribe link.