Suicide Deterrents and Transportation Bill
- by: Survivors Families of Bridge Suicides
- recipient: Members of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Highways and Transit in the U.S. House of Representatives Members of the Committee Environment and Public Works in the U.S. Senate
We are surviving family members who have lost a loved one to suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge. The educated guess of death ranges from 1,300 to over 2,000 with another life lost every 10-14 days!
We have been working with local, state and national legislative members to allow suicide barriers and deterrent systems to be eligible for federal funding in the Transportation Re-Authorization Bill.
THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR ANY EARMARKS OR MONEY !
On May 14, 2009, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (CA) and 14 other Members of Congress requested the change in the wording to the Transportation Re-Authorization Bill this year that would allow suicide barriers to be eligible under Title 23 of the United States Code.
This will allow individual state, regional, and local transportation agencies the ability to use federal highway dollars for bridge suicide deterrent systems.
Jumping off a bridge is one of the most preventable methods of suicide. We ask you to take action Now because a delay of five years will cost hundreds of lives.
Every state in this nation has at least one bridge with a suicide problem; some actually have more than 5, including New York, California and Minnesota.
In a 5 year period before the Next Re-Authorization Bill all the bridge suicides across this country per year, even if it were just one death per state per year (50), then adding in the suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge at 30 suicides per year alone, suicides would total at least 400 before this action could be attempted again!
Please sign this petition and then find your congressional representative below. Write them a personal letter explaining why preventing suicides is important to You and that you want his/her support with the addition to the Transportation Bill.
Please, take the steps to allow suicide deterrent systems on bridges to be eligible for funding under Title 23 of the United States Code and allow the states to start preventing suicides.
Members of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Highways and Transit in the U.S. House of Representatives and
Members of the Committee Environment and Public Works in the U.S. Senate
House Member/Senator
State
Parker Griffith
Alabama
Don Young
Alaska
Harry E. Mitchell
Arizona
John Boozman
Arkansas
Laura Richardson
California
Gary G. Miller
California
Bob Filner
California
Ellen O. Tauscher
California
Grace F. Napolitano
California
Barbara Boxer - California
California
Betsy Markey
Colorado
Thomas R. Carper
Delaware
Eleanor Holmes Norton
District of Columbia
Corrine Brown
Florida
John L. Mica, Ranking Rep Member
Florida
Mario Diaz-Balart
Florida
Connie Mack
Florida
Vern Buchanan
Florida
Lynn A. Westmoreland
Georgia
Mazie K. Hirono
Hawaii
Mike Crapo
Idaho
Jerry F. Costello
Illinois
Daniel Lipinski
Illinois
Phil Hare
Illinois
Timothy V. Johnson
Illinois
Aaron Schock
Illinois
Phil Hare
Illinois
Leonard L. Boswell
Iowa
Jerry Moran
Kansas
Brett Guthrie
Kentucky
Anh "Joseph" Cao
Louisiana
David Vitter - Louisiana
Louisiana
Michael H. Michaud
Maine
Elijah E. Cummings
Maryland
Donna F. Edwards
Maryland
Benjamin L. Cardin
Maryland
Michael E. Capuano
Massachusetts
Mark H. Schauer
Michigan
Vernon J. Ehlers
Michigan
Candice S. Miller
Michigan
Mark H. Schauer
Michigan
James L. Oberstar, Chairman
Minnesota
Timothy J. Walz
Minnesota
Amy Klobuchar
Minnesota
Gene Taylor
Mississippi
Gene Taylor
Mississippi
Russ Carnahan
Missouri
Sam Graves
Missouri
Christopher S. Bond
Missouri
Max Baucus
Montana
Dina Titus
Nevada
Albio Sires
New Jersey
Frank A. LoBiondo
New Jersey
Frank R. Lautenberg
New Jersey
Harry Teague
New Mexico
Tom Udall
New Mexico
Jerrold Nadler
New York
Timothy H. Bishop
New York
Michael A. Arcuri
New York
John J. Hall
New York
Michael E. McMahon
New York
Kirsten Gillibrand
New York
Heath Shuler
North Carolina
Howard Coble
North Carolina
John A. Boccieri
Ohio
Jean Schmidt
Ohio
Robert E. Latta
Ohio
George V. Voinovich
Ohio
Mary Fallin
Oklahoma
James M. Inhofe
Oklahoma
Peter A. DeFazio
Oregon
Jeff Merkley
Oregon
Charles W. Dent
Pennsylvania
Tim Holden
Pennsylvania
Jason Altmire
Pennsylvania
Christopher P. Carney
Pennsylvania
Todd Russell Platts
Pennsylvania
Bill Shuster
Pennsylvania
Jim Gerlach
Pennsylvania
Arlen Specter
Pennsylvania
Sheldon Whitehouse
Rhode Island
Henry E. Brown
South Carolina
Steve Cohen
Tennessee
John J. Duncan, Jr.
Tennessee
Lamar Alexander
Tennessee
Eddie Bernice Johnson
Texas
Solomon P. Ortiz
Texas
Pete Olson
Texas
Bernard Sanders
Vermont
Thomas S.P. Perriello
Virginia
Rick Larsen
Washington
Brian Baird
Washington
Nick J. Rahall II
West Virginia
Shelley Moore Capito
West Virginia
Steve Kagen
Wisconsin
Thomas E. Petri
Wisconsin
John Barrasso
Wyoming
Dear Chairpersons, Ranking Members and other members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The Highways and Transit Committte and the Committee for Environment and Public Works:
On May 14, 2009, Rep Lynn Woolsey and 14 other Members of Congress requested your consideration of an amendment to the Transportation Re-Authorization Bill this year that would allow suicide barriers and deterrent systems to be eligible under Title 23 of the United States Code.
We, the undersigned, are requesting that you take the necessary action to include this amendment which would allow individual state, regional, and local transportation agencies the ability to use federal highway dollars for bridge suicide deterrent systems.
We ask you to do this because jumping off a bridge is one of the most preventable method of suicide. We ask you to do this because suicide is a national public health issue that is becoming epidemic.
We ask you to take action Now because a delay of five years will cost hundreds of lives. This 5 year period would include all the bridge suicides across this country per year, so even if there were just one death per state per year (50), then adding in the suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge at 30 suicides per year alone, that is at least 400 lives lost before this action could be attempted again!
On this petition you will see signatures from across the country because every state in this nation has at least one bridge with a suicide problem; some actually have more than 5, including New York, California and Minnesota.
You will also see signatures from other countries because many nations struggle with this method of suicide also. These people want you to know, as leaders and representatives in the United States, that their countries are taking action to build and design suicide prevention barriers on their bridges, such as the Prince Edward Viaduct and the New Golden Ears Bridges in Canada, The Gateway Bridge in Australia, and the Grafton Bridge in New Zealand.
Please, take the steps to allow suicide deterrent systems on bridges to be eligible for funding under Title 23 of the United States Code and allow the states to start preventing suicides.
Most Sincerely and Respectfully,
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