DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TASK FORCE ON THE PREVENTION OF SUICIDE BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

SEC. 733. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TASK FORCE ON THE PREVENTION OF SUICIDE BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.(a) Requirement to Establish.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish within the Department of Defense a task force to examine matters relating to prevention of suicide by members of the Armed Forces.(b) Composition.—(1) Members.—The task force shall consist of not more than 14 members appointed by the Secretary of Defense from among individuals described in paragraph (2) who have demonstrated expertise in the area of suicide prevention and response.(2) Range of members.—The individuals appointed to the task force shall include—(A) at least one member of each of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps;(B) a number of persons from outside the Department of Defense equal to the total number of personnel from within the Department of Defense (whether members of the Armed Forces or civilian personnel) who are appointed to the task force;(C) persons who have experience in—(i) national suicide prevention policy;(ii) military personnel policy;(iii) research in the field of suicide prevention;(iv) clinical care in mental health; or(v) military chaplaincy or pastoral care; and(D) at least one family member of a member of the Armed Forces who has experience working with military families.(3) Individuals appointed outside department of defense.—Individuals appointed to the task force from outside the Department of Defense may include officers or employees of other departments or agencies of the Federal Government, officers or employees of State and local governments, or individuals from the private sector.(4) Deadline for appointment.—All appointments of individuals to the task force shall be made not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.(5) Co-chairs of task force.—There shall be two co-chairs of the task force. One of the co-chairs shall be designated by the Secretary of the Defense at the time of appointment from among the Department of Defense personnel appointed to the task force. The other co-chair shall be selected from among the members appointed from outside the Department of Defense by members so appointed.(c) Assessment and Recommendations on Suicide Prevention Policy.—122 STAT. 4512(1) In general.—Not later than 12 months after the date on which all members of the task force have been appointed, the task force shall submit to the Secretary a report containing recommendations regarding a comprehensive policy designed to prevent suicide by members of the Armed Forces.(2) Utilization of other efforts.—In preparing the report, the task force shall take into consideration completed and ongoing efforts by the military departments to improve the efficacy of suicide prevention programs.(3) Elements.—The recommendations (including recommendations for legislative or administrative action) shall include measures to address the following:(A) Methods to identify trends and common causal factors in suicides by members of the Armed Forces.(B) Methods to establish or update suicide education and prevention programs conducted by each military department based on identified trends and causal factors.(C) An assessment of current suicide education and prevention programs of each military department.(D) An assessment of suicide incidence by military occupation to include identification of military occupations with a high incidence of suicide.(E) The appropriate type and method of investigation to determine the causes and factors surrounding each suicide by a member of the Armed Forces.(F) The qualifications of the individual appointed to conduct an investigation of a suicide by a member of the Armed Forces.(G) The required information to be determined by an investigation in order to determine the causes and factors surrounding suicides by members of the Armed Forces.(H) The appropriate reporting requirements following an investigation conducted on a suicide by a member of the Armed Forces.(I) The appropriate official or executive agent within the military department and Department of Defense to receive and analyze reports on investigations of suicides by members of the Armed Forces.(J) The appropriate use of the information gathered during investigations of suicides by members of the Armed Forces.(K) Methods for protecting confidentiality of information contained in reports of investigations of suicides by members of the Armed Forces.(d) Administrative Matters.—(1) Compensation.—Each member of the task force who is a member of the Armed Forces or a civilian officer or employee of the United States shall serve without compensation (other than compensation to which entitled as a member of the Armed Forces or an officer or employee of the United States, as the case may be). Other members of the task force shall be treated for purposes of section 3161 of title 5, United States Code, as having been appointed under subsection (b) of such section.(2) Oversight.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness shall oversee the activities of the task force.122 STAT. 4513(3) Administrative support.—The Washington Headquarters Services of the Department of Defense shall provide the task force with personnel, facilities, and other administrative support as necessary for the performance of the duties of the task force.(4) Access to facilities.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness shall, in coordination with the Secretaries of the military departments, ensure appropriate access by the task force to military installations and facilities for purposes of the discharge of the duties of the task force.(e) Report.—(1) In general.—The task force shall submit to the Secretary of Defense a report on its activities under this section. The report shall include—(A) a description of the activities of the task force;(B) the assessment and recommendations required by subsection (c); and(C) such other matters relating to the activities of the task force that the task force considers appropriate.(2) Transmittal to congress.—Not later than 90 days after receipt of the report under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall transmit the report to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Secretary may include in the transmittal such comments on the report as the Secretary considers appropriate.(f) Plan Required.—Not later than March 1, 2010, the Secretary of Defense shall develop a plan based on the recommendations of the task force and submit the plan to the congressional defense committees.(g) Termination.—The task force shall terminate 90 days after the date on which the report of the task force is submitted to Congress under subsection (e)(2).