# 119-s-318: ANCHOR Act

119-s-318, ANCHOR Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA); status passed_senate (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-318
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-318
- Congress: 119
- Title: ANCHOR Act
- Status: passed_senate
- Introduced: 2025-01-29
- Sponsor: Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**This bill would require a coordinated plan to upgrade cybersecurity and telecommunications across the U.S. Academic Research Fleet.** It directs the National Science Foundation Director to deliver, within one year, an assessment of network needs, cybersecurity needs, costs, timelines, and funding options to support research vessels and their missions. - Researchers and ship crews: The plan would set network speed and bandwidth targets and identify equipment needs like satellite communications and shipboard or shoreside high performance computing to enable telemedicine, uploading scientific data to shore, real-time streaming for remote experts, and remote support for instruments and repairs. - Federal agencies, funders, and fleet owners: The plan must include cost estimates and a spending plan that shows potential funding from the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, non-Federal vessel owners, users of the fleet, or combinations of those parties. It also examines timeframes under different budget scenarios. - Cybersecurity and workforce: In consultation with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the plan would apply cybersecurity recommendations from the JASON report, propose standards for encryption and incident response, and recommend access to cybersecurity personnel and training, including handling controlled unclassified or classified information.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (R-AK), 2025-01-29T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Plan to secure academic research ships: benefit, low. The National Science Foundation Director would have to deliver a plan within one year to improve cybersecurity and telecommunications for U.S. academic research ships. The plan would assess network and cybersecurity needs tied to ship missions, with input from CISA and NIST. It would estimate costs…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-1462: Fix Our Forests Act
- 119-s-306: Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act

## Sources
- [119-s-318 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/318)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-1462: Fix Our Forests Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1462)
- [119-s-306: Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-306)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2838)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-318 (as of 2026-09-10).