WASHINGTON (CBS19 NEWS) -- The bipartisan bill U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and John Boozman (R-AR) introduced in June 2019 to help address the rate of veteran suicide is one step closer to becoming law, according to a news release from the U.S. Senate.

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee included language from Warner and Boozman's IMPROVE Well-Being for Veterans Act as a provision in a comprehensive bill to expand veterans’ access to mental health services.

“Our nation’s veterans have faithfully served our country, and they deserve to know that, as they face the invisible wounds of war, we will do everything we can to make sure they receive the help they need. Currently, we are facing an alarming rate of suicide deaths among our veteran population and we’ve got to make tackling this issue a priority," said Warner. "With today’s markup of our bill, we are one step closer to making sure veterans get the services and resources they need.”

The legislation unanimously passed the committee and will now go to the full Senate.

“This is a great step in the right direction to getting our veterans the resources, services and care they need," said Boozman. "Coordinating and sharing information between the VA and veteran-serving organizations that have the common goal to save lives will have a positive impact."

The IMPROVE Well-Being for Veterans Act creates a new grant program that lets the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) conduct additional outreach through veteran-serving nonprofit organizations as well as state and local organizations.

The bipartisan bill also enhances planning and coordination of veteran suicide prevention and other mental health services.

The release adds it would better measure the effectiveness of these programs to reduce the number of veteran suicides.

Congress has more than tripled the VA’s funding for suicide prevention efforts to $222 million in the past decade. However, the number of veterans dying by suicide on a daily basis has remained relatively steady at around 20.