# 119-hr-2406: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act of 2025

119-hr-2406, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR); status passed_house; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-26).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2406
- As of: 2026-09-26
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2406
- Congress: 119
- Title: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act of 2025
- Status: passed_house
- Introduced: 2025-03-27
- Sponsor: Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-26

## Summary

**Preventing and addressing sexual harassment and assault at NOAA.** This bill would strengthen prevention, reporting, investigation, and accountability across NOAA by adding “equal employment” to policy scope, expanding who counts as covered personnel, requiring case synopses and disciplinary disclosures, tightening reporting for mariners and vessels, and adding a disqualification for certain sexual offenders from the NOAA officer corps. - Would expand protected and covered personnel to explicitly include observers, at-sea monitors, catch monitors, and Regional Fishery Management Council staff. NOAA would have to disclose a synopsis and disposition of each case and summarize disciplinary actions and transfer or relocation requests. - Would create new reporting paths and investigation rules for mariners and vessels, require vessel reports to the Coast Guard, and let criminal referrals start earlier or during prosecution with Coast Guard involvement for licensed mariners. It also broadens the scope of prohibited harassment or assault-related acts in maritime law by removing the words "forcibly" and "on a vessel." - Would add a new disqualification in NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps eligibility that bars individuals convicted of specified sexual offenses from serving by cross-reference to the existing prohibition.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira [R-FL-27] (R-FL), 2025-03-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] (D-CA), 2025-03-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-03-31T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Clearer who NOAA rules protect: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would define who counts as “covered personnel.” It would include NOAA workers, observers, at-sea and catch monitors on vessels, barges, platforms, and in shoreside plants, and Regional Fishery Management Council members and staff. It would name the NOAA marine operations direct…
- Faster vessel reporting and Coast Guard notice: benefit, low. If enacted, the person in charge of a vessel would have to tell the Coast Guard right away about sexual harassment or assault involving NOAA mariners or contracted crew. Restricted, confidential reports would be exempt. Reports must use the fastest method and include names, mariner numbers if any,…
- More detail in NOAA harassment reports: benefit, low. If enacted, NOAA would rename its yearly report to cover sexual harassment, sexual assault, and equal employment. The report would list the number and type of cases, plus a short summary, outcome, and any discipline for each case. It would summarize transfer or work-location change requests made fo…
- Wider ban on harassment in fisheries: benefit, low. If enacted, the fisheries law would drop the words “forcibly” and “on a vessel” from a key prohibited-acts rule. This would cover non‑forcible acts and acts that happen off a vessel, broadening protections and enforcement.
- Sex offenders barred from NOAA Corps: cost, low. If enacted, people convicted of certain sexual offenses would not be allowed to serve in the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. The bill would add a cross‑reference to the existing federal prohibition and renumber one paragraph. It would not list the offenses in this section.
- Stronger confidential reporting and privacy rules: mixed, low. If enacted, NOAA could share a reporter’s name only in limited cases: with written consent, to prevent serious danger, to provide victim services, or when a court or law requires it. The Secretary would try to notify the person and protect their privacy if disclosure happens. The Secretary would ha…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act
- 119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-2406 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2406)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10421)
- [119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3816)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2406 (as of 2026-09-26).