FRANKFORT – State Senator Michael E. Hastings was appointed to represent the Senate in two statewide veterans’ task forces.

Hastings (D-Frankfort) will be serving as a member on the Breakthrough Therapies for Veterans Suicide Prevention Program Advisory Council and Veterans Service-Related Ailments Task Force.

“Our veterans work tirelessly to protect our democratic values and freedom,” Hastings said. “I am honored to continue my work in improving the quality of life of our nation’s heroes and providing them with helpful resources to ease their transition back to civilian life.”

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reported suicide was the second leading cause of death amongst veterans ages 18 to 44. Hastings believes we need to continue to work toward eliminating this epidemic and helping connect our returning veterans with tools to be healthy.

“It is our duty to ensure our veterans have the resources to be healthy, safe and successful,” Hastings said. “Every life we save is priceless. I pledge to continue to work towards ensuing our military personnel know that they are not alone.”

Hastings, a veteran himself, serves as the Illinois Senate’s Veterans Affairs Committee Chair. He urges those connected with veterans’ organizations or individuals with ideas on improving access to state programs to contact his office at (815) 464-5431 to share their input on how Illinois can continue to improve services to our nation’s heroes.