NOAA tightens sexual assault protections, expands victim confidentiality.
H.R. 2406 — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act of 2025 · Filed by Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Mar 27, 2025 · Passed chamber
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What it does
This bill strengthens sexual harassment and assault protections for NOAA employees and contractors, including fisheries observers and Coast Guard-affiliated personnel. It requires NOAA to expand reporting mechanisms, collect detailed case data, notify the Coast Guard of incidents involving mariners, and update restricted reporting policies to allow confidential disclosure without automatic investigation triggers. It also bars individuals convicted of certain sexual offenses from serving in NOAA's Commissioned Officer Corps.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to strengthen sexual harassment and assault prevention, reporting, and victim protection within NOAA and related maritime operations. It is a straightforward institutional accountability and employee protection measure with no hidden commercial or political carve-outs.
What the text implies
- Mandatory Coast Guard reporting of NOAA mariner incidents may create dual-reporting obligations that could complicate victim confidentiality if Coast Guard and NOAA policies diverge.
- Restricted reporting update (3-year deadline) requires NOAA to redesign its confidential disclosure system; implementation delays or inadequate design could undermine victim trust.
- Expansion of 'covered personnel' to include fisheries observers and Regional Fishery Management Council staff broadens institutional liability and reporting scope beyond core NOAA employees.
- Prohibition on service by individuals convicted of 'certain sexual offenses' references Section 657 without restating the offense categories; the scope depends on external statute not quoted here.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
NOAA employees, contractors, and fisheries observers gain explicit protections: confidential reporting options, victim anonymity safeguards, mandatory case tracking, and institutional accountability through expanded annual reporting. Individuals convicted of sexual offenses are barred from NOAA officer service. The bill creates no new costs to ordinary citizens and strengthens workplace safety and due process.
Named in the bill
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Coast Guard, Secretary of Commerce, Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, National Marine Fisheries Service, Regional Fishery Management Councils, Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, Endangered Species Act of 1973, Violence Against Women Act of 1994 — and 2 more
Where it stands
3 cosponsors: 2 Republicans, 1 Democrats.
- Mar 27, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Mar 27, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
- Jun 3, 2026 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Hearings Held”
- Jul 15, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
- Jul 15, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent”
- Sep 14, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote”
- Sep 14, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $180,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 43 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Suzanne Bonamici, the sponsor, reported $461,650 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- American College of Rheumatology — $180,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (12,892 characters) on Aug 20, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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