National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Bonamici
Introduced
Summary
Strengthening NOAA's system for preventing and reporting sexual harassment and assault by consolidating prevention, reporting, and data collection into NOAA-specific procedures. This bill would expand definitions, require case synopses and disciplinary outcomes, and add new reporting and referral paths for mariners and vessel operators.
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- NOAA personnel and covered staff would face a new, NOAA-wide reporting and data regime that covers sexual harassment, sexual assault, and equal employment and requires an annual report with case synopses and disciplinary actions.
- Fisheries observers, at-sea monitors, catch monitors, and related observers would be tracked explicitly with required data on alleged incidents, investigation status, disposition, and the fishery or geographic region involved.
- Vessel responsible entities would have to report harassment or assault incidents to the Coast Guard under specified timing and content rules, and the Coast Guard Commandant becomes an option for criminal referrals for licensed mariners.
- Victims would gain a restricted reporting option that lets them disclose confidentially without automatic PII sharing or triggering an investigation, while limited PII sharing is allowed for safety, enforcement, or service needs.
- The bill updates terminology to "covered personnel," adds new Subtitle C sections on anonymity, restricted reporting, and mariner reporting, and amends the Magnuson-Stevens Act wording by removing the words "forcibly" and "on a vessel" from a prohibited-acts clause.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 3 mixed.
New Coast Guard reporting for NOAA ships
If enacted, NOAA’s ship lead would have to tell the Coast Guard about sexual harassment or assault as soon as they learn of it. They would report only cases involving mariners with required credentials or crew on NOAA‑contracted vessels, and not restricted reports. Reports would go by the fastest channel to a single Coast Guard contact and include names, credential numbers if known, roles, vessel details, time, location, and a short description. The Commerce Secretary would notify the NOAA fleet director of each report, with extra privacy for restricted reports. The bill would also let NOAA make criminal referrals at the start or during charging, and allow referrals to the Coast Guard for licensed mariners.
More NOAA workers covered and reported
If enacted, more people would count as “covered personnel,” including observers, at‑sea monitors, catch monitors, and some fishery council members and staff. NOAA’s yearly report would add sexual harassment, sexual assault, and equal employment case summaries and any discipline. It would also list denied transfer or station requests, cases sent to the Coast Guard, and observer cases by fishery or region.
Sex crime convictions bar NOAA Corps
If enacted, people convicted of certain sexual offenses would not be allowed to serve in the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. This would apply to new applicants and current members, starting upon enactment.
Stronger privacy and confidential reporting
If enacted, restricted reporting at NOAA would be updated within 3 years to allow confidential reports that do not automatically start an investigation. NOAA could share a victim’s identifying information only with written OK, to stop a serious threat, to provide services, or if a court or law requires it. NOAA would try to notify the person and protect their privacy when any disclosure is made.
Broader harassment ban in fisheries
If enacted, the bill would remove the words “forcibly” and “on a vessel” from a federal fisheries prohibition. More kinds of conduct and locations could be covered. People and businesses in commercial fisheries could face broader enforcement.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Bonamici
OR • D
Cosponsors
Salazar
FL • R
Sponsored 3/27/2025
Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]
CA • D
Sponsored 3/27/2025
Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]
PA • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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