H.R. 2406 — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act of 2025

This section provides that references in the Act to amendments or repeals are to provisions of subtitle C of title XXXV of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (33 U.S.C. 894 et seq.).

This section expands quarterly reports by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on sexual harassment to also address equal employment matters. It requires the reports to include a synopsis of each case and any disciplinary action taken, as well as data collected under the Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002.

This section expands the annual report submitted by the Secretary of Commerce on sexual assaults involving National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees, commissioned officers, and related individuals to also cover sexual harassment cases and equal employment matters. It adds requirements to include synopses of sexual harassment and equal employment cases with disciplinary actions taken; summaries of change of station, unit transfer, and work location requests and denials; cases reported to the Coast Guard Commandant; and details on alleged incidents involving fisheries, protected species, and endangered species observers, including case status, investigation disposition, and location or fishery. It updates privacy protections to cover sexual harassment.

This section modifies the timing of criminal referrals by the Secretary of Commerce for sexual harassment or assault investigations under NOAA programs, requiring referral at the onset or during the course of an investigation rather than only after completion. It adds the Commandant of the Coast Guard as a required recipient for cases involving licensed mariners. It authorizes limited disclosures of victim identifying information to specified parties for safety, services, or legal reasons, requires notice to the victim, and directs an update within 3 years to restricted reporting policies that allow confidential disclosure without automatic investigation. It also mandates that vessel operators report unrestricted incidents involving Administration mariners or contracted crew to the Coast Guard within specified timeframes and with required details on individuals, vessel, location, and incident.

This section defines terms used in the subtitle. It defines covered personnel to include observers, at-sea monitors, and catch monitors required by the National Marine Fisheries Service for commercial fisheries observation, protected species observation, and platform removal, as well as voting members and staff of each Regional Fishery Management Council. It also defines the responsible entity of a vessel as the Director of the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations and adopts the definition of sexual assault from the Violence Against Women Act of 1994.

This section replaces the term “individuals who work with or conduct business on behalf of the Administration” with “covered personnel” throughout provisions governing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sexual harassment policy. It also updates the global and title tables of contents to reflect new sections on investigations, criminal referrals, victim anonymity, restricted reporting, mariner referrals, annual reports, and definitions.

This section applies the prohibition on service by individuals convicted of certain sexual offenses under section 657 of title 10, United States Code, to the commissioned officer corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.