NOAA tightens sexual assault protections for maritime workers
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 · Reported out
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill amends the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act to strengthen sexual harassment and assault prevention and reporting procedures for NOAA personnel, including fisheries observers and Coast Guard-contracted mariners. It requires expanded annual reporting on harassment and assault cases, establishes a confidential restricted-reporting system that does not automatically trigger investigations, mandates vessel operators report incidents to the Coast Guard, and bars individuals convicted of certain sexual offenses from serving in NOAA's Commissioned Officer Corps.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a suite of procedural and transparency reforms aimed at preventing sexual harassment and assault within NOAA and protecting reporting pathways for federal maritime workers. It is not a commemorative, appropriations, or deregulatory measure—it is a protective statute.
What the text implies
- The restricted reporting system (section 3549) allows victims to disclose harassment without automatically triggering investigation, potentially delaying institutional response and evidence preservation in time-sensitive cases.
- Section 3550 requires vessel operators to report incidents to Coast Guard, but carves out restricted reports—creating a two-tier system where some incidents remain invisible to external oversight.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who it affects
The bill strengthens protections for federal employees and contractors working in maritime and fisheries roles by establishing confidential reporting pathways, requiring comprehensive case tracking and disciplinary transparency, and barring convicted sexual offenders from leadership. These measures reduce barriers to reporting, increase institutional accountability, and protect vulnerable workers (observers, mariners) in isolated work environments.