Suicide Deterrents and Transportation Bill

  • da: Survivors Families of Bridge Suicides
  • destinatario: 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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