Bill > HB5259

This bill establishes a buddy-to-buddy mental health peer mentorship program within the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The program will provide personalized, one-on-one support for current military members (including National Guard and military reserves) and veterans in Michigan. Mentors, who will be preferentially recruited from veteran populations but can also include non-veterans, will help connect service members and veterans to resources in key areas such as education, employment, family support, financial assistance, and healthcare. The program will specifically focus on linking individuals with advocates like veteran navigators who can assist with mental health and substance use disorder challenges. The agency overseeing the program will designate an official to manage its implementation, and the program can receive funding from any source. Importantly, any documentation created in the course of the program's official functions that contains individual service member or veteran-specific information will be exempt from public disclosure under the state's Freedom of Information Act. The bill is tied to another piece of legislation (House Bill 5270) and will only take effect if that companion bill is also enacted into law.

Government Affairs

https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HB-5259