Annie Kuster: “As we approach the end of the calendar year, I am proud that both Chambers have finally come together to pass the 2014…”

“As we approach the end of the calendar year, I am proud that both Chambers have finally come together to pass the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act. This important bill will help ensure that the men and women of our armed services have the resources they need to do their jobs and keep our country safe. I am especially pleased that this legislation includes important reforms to help prevent military sexual assaults by better protecting whistleblowers and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions. This critical reform is an amendment from legislation introduced by my Republican colleague from Indiana, Representative Jackie Walorski, and my Democratic colleague from California, Representative Loretta Sanchez, that passed the House with 110 bipartisan cosponsors and nearly 50 Members of our freshmen class. Because of our joint efforts working across the aisle, this is a great first step in further protecting our heroes in uniform who take the extra heroic step of coming forward to blow the whistle on military sexual crimes. It has been an honor to help build support for this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to continue to work to end sexual violence in our military. ____________________”