The current version of the House defense authorization bill would provide extra pay to service members in Alaska and on the USS George Washington in an attempt to end a string of suicides, as Military.com reported.

The legislation, to be considered by the House in two weeks would “provide new $200 monthly stipends to sailors on ships undergoing nuclear refueling and complex overhauls and $300 monthly stipends to service members ‘assigned to perform cold weather operations,’” the report said.

The Army has long been concerned about suicide levels in Alaska, the highest across the military, and Army Secretary Christine Wormuth has made the issue one of her priorities, as On Base has reported.

Army National Guard photo by Spc. Marc Marmeto