By Kyle Clauss

LOWELL -- The U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., passed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2015 on Thursday, with more than a dozen provisions penned by U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas.

Tsongas, who serves Massachusetts' 3rd District which includes Lowell, authored provisions supporting a new $13.5 million dormitory for junior airmen at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford and reversing cuts in funding for the Natick Soldier Systems Center's Combat Feeding Directorate.

"Massachusetts' military installations are leading the way in partnering with area businesses and academic institutions to form a hub of innovation that has -- and will continue to be -- vital to national security," Tsongas said in a release.

"The provisions I authored will continue to encourage the high-tech innovation taking place at these installations and will protect and grow jobs at and around our bases," Tsongas said.

CFRED, which employs 100, was slated for a 30 percent cut in funding, which will now be reversed. Also restored will be $25 million in funding for the Defense Department's STARBASE Program -- a nationwide program operating out of Hanscom, which provides STEM education for elementary-school students from Lowell, Lawrence and Fitchburg.

In addition to funding, Tsongas' provisions tackle other tough military issues, such as sexual assault, suicide and cyber-terrorism preparedness.

"In regard to the disturbing prevalence of sexual assault in the military, I have worked closely with Rep.Mike Turner (R-OH) to continue developing legislation that works towards eradicating these heinous crimes from our ranks and changing the toxic culture that allows them to occur," Tsongas said.

The FAIR Military Act limits use of the "good-soldier defense" in trials, requires commanders to assessed on their ability to cultivate in which victims feel comfortable to come forward without fear of retaliation and establishes an independent panel to examine how mental-health records of victims are admitted into evidence at trial.

The Department of Defense Suicide Tracking Act requires the department to establish a standardized suicide-tracking policy for the National Guard and Reserves, as well as a process to track, retain and asses suicide data for military family members.

"It is an opportunity to better understand the extent of suicides and suicide attempts for reserve and Guard servicemembers, along with their families, so that prevention programs can be improved and assistance can be provided," she said.

The bill awaits a vote in the Senate.

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