HR2406-119

What This Bill Does

The NOAA Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act strengthens reporting, victim privacy, and mariner-referral rules across NOAA. Annual reports must cover sexual harassment, sexual assault, and equal employment cases; include disciplinary synopses; summarize change-of-station, unit-transfer, or work-location requests; count Coast Guard referrals; and include alleged harassment or assault involving fisheries observers, protected species observers, and endangered species observers by fishery or geographic region. The bill creates anonymity exceptions for restricted or unrestricted reports, allowing disclosure to NOAA staff, law enforcement, victim advocates, health care providers, or courts in specified circumstances while requiring notice and privacy protection when disclosure occurs. Commerce must update restricted reporting policies within three years so victims can confidentially disclose details and receive services without automatically triggering an investigation. Vessel responsible entities must report covered harassment or assault involving credentialed NOAA employees or vessel crewmembers to a designated Coast Guard recipient unless the incident is restricted, and the bill broadens covered personnel definitions to observers, at-sea monitors, catch monitors, and Regional Fishery Management Council members and staff.

Who Benefits and How

NOAA employees reporting harassment benefit from clearer restricted reporting, privacy protections, and annual case transparency. NOAA commissioned corps members benefit from updated reporting systems and transfer or work-location data tied to safety needs. Fisheries observers benefit because alleged harassment and assault cases involving observers must be reported with region and fishery detail. Protected species observers benefit from inclusion in covered personnel definitions and annual reporting. Victim advocates benefit from explicit authority to receive personally identifying information when needed to provide services. Coast Guard investigators benefit from a designated referral stream for covered mariner incidents.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Commerce Department policy staff must update restricted reporting mechanisms within three years and protect victim privacy when disclosures occur. NOAA annual report staff must collect additional harassment, equal employment, transfer, observer, and Coast Guard referral data. Responsible vessel entities must report covered harassment or assault incidents to the Coast Guard as soon as they are made aware. Regional Fishery Management Council administrators must account for broader covered-personnel rules. Commercial fishing vessel operators face more formal reporting duties when covered NOAA personnel or crewmembers are involved.

Key Provisions

• Expands NOAA annual reports to include sexual harassment, sexual assault, equal employment cases, transfer requests, Coast Guard referrals, and observer incidents.
• Creates anonymity exceptions for restricted or unrestricted reports while requiring notice and privacy protection after disclosure.
• Requires Commerce to update restricted reporting systems within three years so confidential disclosures do not automatically trigger investigations.
• Requires responsible vessel entities to report covered mariner harassment or assault incidents to a designated Coast Guard recipient.
• Expands covered personnel definitions to fisheries observers, protected species observers, endangered species observers, at-sea monitors, catch monitors, and Regional Fishery Management Council members and staff.