§894 Actions to address sexual harassment at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Summary

By December 23, 2017, the Secretary of Commerce, through the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, must create a plan to prevent and respond to sexual harassment for NOAA employees, NOAA’s commissioned officers, and people who work with or for NOAA. The plan must include an awareness program, clear steps for reporting (including who to report to, confidential options, after‑hours contacts, and ways to report or get help when working at sea or in remote field camps), a way to ask and answer questions confidentially, rules for restricted or unrestricted reports, and a ban on retaliation with consequences. The Secretary may get help from outside groups. The plan must be shared with all NOAA staff, officers (including field workers), and the public, and at least one existing employee at each marine and aviation center must be assigned to handle equal‑opportunity or harassment matters. At least four times a year, the NOAA Civil Rights Office Director must send the Under Secretary a report on harassment that shows the number of cases (actionable and non‑actionable), how many actionable cases are open and how long they have been open, any trends or region issues, and any recommendations.