§894 Actions to Address Sexual Harassment at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Summary

Not later than 1 year after December 23, 2016, the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, must create a policy to prevent and respond to sexual harassment involving NOAA employees, members of its commissioned officer corps, and people who work with or for NOAA. The policy must include an awareness program; clear steps for reporting, with named contacts, confidential and after‑hours options, and procedures for remote field or at‑sea work; instructions on who else a victim should contact; a way to ask and get confidential answers and to report either on a restricted or unrestricted basis; and a ban on retaliation with consequences. The Secretary may get help from outside experts. The policy must be made available to all NOAA employees and officers, including field workers, and to the public. The Secretary must also name at least one existing employee at each marine and aviation center to handle equal employment opportunity or sexual harassment matters. At least 4 times each year, the Director of NOAA’s Civil Rights Office must report to the Under Secretary about sexual harassment. Each report must say how many cases there are (actionable and non‑actionable), how many actionable cases are open and how long they have been open, any trends or region issues found, and any recommendations.