INDIANAPOLIS — A proposed alert for missing veterans and military service members who are at risk got one step closer to possibly becoming a reality.
The House voted unanimously Thursday for House Bill 1021 that would create a Green Alert.
It would work like Amber or Silver alerts do, but instead of an alert for endangered kids, older people or at-risk people with disabilities, this alert would be for missing veterans or military members at risk.
According to the bill’s author, Rep. Mitch Gore, D-District 89, a Green Alert would also help first responders who may approach a missing veteran in crisis differently than they would someone else.
According to Gore, Hoosier veterans are dying by suicide at a slightly higher rate than the national average.
A 2022 report from the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs, showed there were over 6,000 veterans who died by suicide nationally.
A 2021 report from the same department showed 139 Hoosier veterans died by suicide that year.
“We know that when vets go missing, they’re more likely to die by suicide, often times that’s why you can’t find them in the first place," Gore told his colleagues on the House floor. "And this bill says at a minimum, we will come find you, we will get you help and we will try to keep you with us."
House Bill 1021 saw a lot of support from veterans who testified this week at the Statehouse about why a Green Alert is so important.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it will be up to lawmakers there to decide if the bill gets a hearing in committee.