Washington, D.C. Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn. – 3) today applauded the FY10 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2647) as important legislation that makes a strong commitment to military personnel and their families, restores our nation’s military readiness and protects our troops in harms way. The bill was passed by the House of Representative today by a 281 to 146 vote.

“This bill makes good on the commitments to our men and women in uniform. Along with providing all service-members a pay raise of 3.4 percent and funding for family housing, it takes important steps towards improving health care for our troops and their families, including better mental health screenings for those returning from combat. The bill also requires the Defense Department to conduct person-to-person pre and post-deployment mental health assessments with each member of the Armed Forces deployed in connection with a contingency operation. Since first introducing the Sgt. Jonathan Schulze Military Mental Health Services Improvement Act in 2005, I have fought for such critical screenings to prevent military suicides and provide our brave men and women with the mental health services they deserve.

“I am also pleased that the legislation supports the administration’s request to cancel the VH-71 Presidential Helicopter Program and suggests a re-bid of the contract. When the Bush Administration announced in 2005 that it was awarding this contract to British and Italian companies, rather than the highly skilled American workforce at Sikorsky, I immediately raised concerns about the detrimental impact the decision would have on U.S. jobs and the domestic manufacturing industry. Throw in the ballooning budget and major scheduling delays, and it is long-past time we moved to re-bid this contract.

“Finally, while I support the bill and the funding it provides for equipment for our troops, it's deeply disappointing that it continues to fund the Joint Strike Fighter alternate engine program. With over 12,000 test hours under its belt, the Pratt engine is performing well. Providing $560 million for an engine that the Pentagon has stated that it does not want is a waste of taxpayer dollars that prevents us from spending funds elsewhere to keep the American people safe. The administration has even threatened to veto the bill over this wasteful provision. I will continue to support their position in this matter and fight to end funding for the alternate engine.”

The conference report authorizes $550.2 billion in budget authority for the Department of Defense (DOD) and the national security programs of the Department of Energy (DOE). The bill also authorizes $130 billion to support overseas contingency operations during fiscal year 2010.

Additionally, the FY10 Defense Authorization Bill included authorized funding for the following projects of interest to Connecticut:

Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford

• UH-60 Black Hawks: $1.36 billion for 79 aircraft

• UH-60A-A to UH-60L Black Hawk Conversion: $20.4 million

• MH-60S Navy Knight Hawk Helicopters: $414.15 million for 18 aircraft

• MH-60R Navy Sea Hawk Helicopters: $811.78 million for 24 aircraft

• Navy CH-53K Heavy Lift Helicopter Research & Development: $554.83 million

Pratt and Whitney, Middletown

• F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II: $6 billion for the Air Force and Navy to procure 30 aircraft

• Advanced Affordable Turbine En1869gine Program: $5 million

• Metals Affordability Initiative: $10 million

Connecticut Air National Guard TFI–CNAF Facilities Upgrade, $9 million: to upgrade the Connecticut Air National Guard facilities at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Lock, CT.