Representative Niki Tsongas News

After new accounts of retaliation against troops who report sexual assault emerged in a San Antonio Express-News series this week, Washington lawmakers and advocates condemned the military's handling of the issue and expressed growing urgency for reform.

The concept may be out of this world, but its benefits could be a economic grand slam for this area if the home team wins.

Determined to check the growing epidemic of sexual assaults in the armed forces, a House panel is poised to approve a series of revisions to longstanding military law.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, left, listens as President Obama discusses sexual assault in the military in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Thursday.

President Barack Obama said Thursday the nation's military leaders told him they are "ashamed" of their failure to end sexual abuse in the armed services, and he promised an accelerated effort to find solutions.

A little more than a decade later and with the Taliban long since overthrown, the prospects for women living in Afghanistan are brighter than ever, said U.S. Rep.

A rash of scandals discrediting the U.S. military's efforts to stamp out sexual assault is putting unprecedented pressure on Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to consider options that once appeared off limits to address sex crimes in the armed forces.

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krunsinski arrives at the Arlington County Courthouse with his attorney, Sheryl Shane, to be arraigned on a misdemeanor sexual battery charge Thursday in Arlington, Va.

The Senate Armed Services Committee hears from top officials of the Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.

Ohio congress members Tim Ryan and Mike Turner participated in a White House meeting today to address how the U.S. military can counter a 35 percent rise in sexual assaults over the past two years that was documented in a Pentagon report released earlier this week.

Lawmakers are pushing for several changes in how the U.S. military handles cases of reported sexual assault amid fresh data showing a sharp increase in the number of reported incidents.

They are young, often low-ranking service members out on the weekend in the late night and early morning hours.

A House Republican and Democrat are pushing a bill that would strip the authority of military officers to overturn convictions for major offenses such as sexual assault.

Despite efforts to create a "military culture free of sexual assault," the Department of Defense announced Tuesday that the number of cases increased sharply in the last year, a trend that critics pointed to as proof that more aggressive measures are needed to end the epidemic.

Ryan P. Jones' platoon of combat engineers helped clear nearly 60 improvised- explosive devices before he was killed by one May 2, 2007, during a deployment to Iraq, said his comrade Col.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013 - During a meeting at the State House yesterday, Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray welcomed Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congresswoman Niki Tsongas to serve on the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force.

U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas filed a bill Tuesday that would allow Massachusetts communities to give seniors discounts on their property-tax bills in exchange for working volunteer hours.

Massachusetts seniors can reduce their local property taxes by up to $1,000 a year by stacking library books, filing papers at city hall, painting fire hydrants, or doing other volunteer work in their communities.

Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, took to the House floor this afternoon to speak about marathon victims, first responders, and next year's Patriots Day.

Tsongas' new office will be located at Fitchburg State University's Center for Professional Studies Office at 150 Main St., according to a statement from the congresswoman.