SAN ANTONIO – A Texas lawmaker is pushing for a change that could help shed light on the crisis of veteran suicides, a problem advocates say remains obscured by a lack of consistent data collection.
House Bill 39, introduced by State Representative Ray Lopez (D-San Antonio), would require every county in Texas to report when a military veteran dies by suicide.
The bill passed unanimously in the Texas House and is now under review by the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs.
“We always talk about the number 22 veterans dying by suicide each day,” Lopez said. “That’s way too many — but we really don’t know if it’s 22, 32 or even more.”
Currently, there is no mandate requiring counties in Texas to log veteran suicide data, leaving large gaps in understanding the scope of the crisis.
Lopez said the bill would provide county medical examiners and coroners with a standardized form to record veteran status in suicide cases. The data would then be analyzed by volunteer groups and organizations such as the Texas Veterans Commission to understand root causes and trends better.
“They served their country, they served us all — and what we need to do is return that favor,” Lopez said.
Veterans like Tim Jensen, a Marine Corps veteran and advocate, said the lack of data makes it harder to solve the issue.
“I’m tired of watching my friends die. I’m tired of watching them take their life,” Jensen said.
According to a study by Brown University’s Costs of War project, suicide has claimed far more lives among post-9/11 veterans than combat. Between 2001 and 2021, 30,177 active-duty personnel and veterans of the War on Terror died by suicide, compared to 7,057 who were killed in military operations.
Jensen said he believes the proposed legislation could bring much-needed clarity.
“I think it would certainly shine a light on a shadowy corner of this conversation,” he said.
The legislative session ends June 2. If the Senate Committee and full chamber approve the bill, it will head to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk for final consideration.
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