FUNDS WERE INCLUDED IN THE BIPARTISAN NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Nancy Boyda announced that the U.S. House has approved $22.8 million for Kansas Second District military projects. The money, which was included in the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, passed the U.S. House yesterday on a 397-27 vote.

Boyda said, “The three military bases in the Kansas Second District are key assets in the war on terror, and these programs are critical to their continued success. The programs will not only strengthen the Kansas economy but will improve the safety and security of every American.”

As passed in the U.S. House, the National Defense Authorization Act funds:

• Coming Together Around Military Families (ZERO to THREE) – $6.5 million – Funds a program at Fort Riley and 11 other military installations to strengthen the resilience of young children and their families who are experiencing trauma, grief and loss as a result of a service member’s deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. This program is currently financed by private contributions.
  
  
• The Fort Riley Military Working Dog Facility – $1.9 million – Provides for new construction at Fort Riley for the Military Working Dogs, who currently do not have a facility.
  
  
• Leadership for Leaders – $1 million – Supports a joint project between the Army’s Command and General Staff College (CGSC), located at Fort Leavenworth, and Kansas State University to allow students at the CGSC to receive an M.A. and Ph.D. in Security Studies. The program is designed specifically for students at the CGSC.
  
  
• Safety Equipment for the Great Plains Joint Regional Training Center – $2 million – Provides the necessary safety equipment for all joint and civilian users of the Great Plains Joint Regional Training Center at Smoky Hills in Salina.
  
  
• Radios to Support Operations at the Great Plains Joint Regional Training Center – $0.5 million – Finances the communications equipment necessary to conduct integrated joint training at the Great Plains Joint Regional Training Center at Smoky Hills in Salina.
  
  
• Parents as Teachers Heroes at Home – $3 million – Supports a program in which educators visit military families with children to help parents learn the expectations of child development, to host group meetings about child development, and to provide periodic developmental and health screenings for children. The program serves families at both Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth. 
  
  
• The M871 Series Trailer Refurbishment Program – $2.9 million – Authorizes funds to refurbish trailers used to transport containerized and bulk cargo. The trailers are refurbished at Fort Riley.
  
  
• The Advanced Extended Range Missile Program – $5 million – Completes the initial engine testing, engine design, airframe design, wind tunnel testing, and system engineering and integration for the Advanced Extended Range Attack Missile (AERAM). Iron Tree Research in Lansing conducts all of the analytical work on the AERAM.

The National Defense Authorization Act now moves to the Senate for approval.