119-HR-2406 Journalist Public Summary

Headline Summary

A bipartisan House bill would toughen NOAA’s policies on sexual harassment and assault, add Coast Guard reporting for maritime cases, and expand protections and transparency for NOAA employees, contractors, and fishery observers.

What It Does

H.R. 2406 updates NOAA’s existing prevention-and-response framework. It requires clearer annual public reporting (including brief case synopses and any discipline), extends coverage to “covered personnel” such as fishery observers and Regional Fishery Management Council staff, creates a confidential “restricted reporting” option that lets victims seek services without automatically triggering an investigation (with narrow privacy exceptions), mandates prompt Coast Guard notification for unrestricted maritime incidents, and broadens fishery‑observer protections by strengthening a prohibited‑acts provision in federal fisheries law. It also bars individuals convicted of certain sexual offenses from serving in the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps.

Who’s For It

• Bipartisan sponsors: Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Maria Salazar (R-FL), and Jared Huffman (D-CA).
• Likely supporters include workplace-safety and anti-harassment advocates, maritime worker representatives, and fishery observer organizations who favor clearer reporting paths, faster referrals, and more transparent outcomes.

Who’s Against It

• No formal opposition is noted in the provided materials.
• Potential concerns to watch: (1) vessel operators or contractors may worry about reporting burdens and liability exposure; (2) privacy advocates could question the bill’s limited exceptions that allow disclosure of a victim’s identity in specific safety or legal circumstances; (3) managers may flag implementation workload for new data tracking and annual reporting.

What’s Next

Status: Introduced on March 27, 2025; referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources, and on May 29, 2026, to the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries. Next typical steps would be a subcommittee hearing/markup, full committee consideration, House floor vote, then Senate review and, if passed, the President’s signature.

Key details at a glance

• Annual transparency: NOAA’s report would include brief synopses and any discipline for each case, data required by the No FEAR Act, counts of reassignment/transfer requests and denials, Coast Guard-reported cases, and detailed tallies for fishery observer incidents.
• Confidential help: Establishes a restricted reporting option so victims can access services without automatically launching an investigation, while allowing limited disclosures for safety, services, or court orders and requiring notice to the victim.
• Maritime coordination: Unrestricted incidents involving NOAA-credentialed mariners or crews on NOAA‑contracted vessels must be reported promptly to a designated Coast Guard contact by the fastest available channel.
• Observer protections: Strengthens a fisheries-law prohibition to better protect observers by removing qualifiers that previously narrowed what conduct was covered.
• Who’s covered: Extends protections and procedures to “covered personnel,” including observers, at‑sea and catch monitors, and Regional Fishery Management Council members and staff.