14 U.S.C. § 2537 (COAST GUARD)
§ 2537. Accountability and transparency relating to allegations of misconduct against senior leaders
(a) In General.—
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, the Secretary shall establish a publicly available, written policy to improve oversight, investigations, accountability, and public transparency regarding alleged misconduct of senior leaders of the Coast Guard.
(b) Elements.—
The policy required by subsection (a)—
(1) shall require that—
(A) any allegation of alleged misconduct made against a senior leader of the Coast Guard shall be reported to the Office of the Inspector General of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating not later than 72 hours after the allegation is reported to the Coast Guard or the department in which the Coast Guard is operating; and
(B) the Inspector General of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall notify the head of the Coast Guard office in which the senior leader is serving with respect to the receipt of such allegation, or, in a case where the senior leader is the head of such Coast Guard office, the next in the chain of command, as appropriate, except in a case in which the Inspector General determines that such notification would risk impairing an ongoing investigation, would unnecessarily compromise the anonymity of the individual making the allegation, or would otherwise be inappropriate; and
(2) to the extent practicable, shall be consistent with Department of Defense directives, including Department of Defense Directive 5505.06.
(c) First Right to Exclusive Investigation.—
The Inspector General of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating—
(1) shall have the first right to investigate an allegation described in subsection (b)(1)(A); and
(2) in cases with concurrent jurisdiction involving an allegation described in subsection (b)(1)(A), may investigate such an allegation to the exclusion of any other Coast Guard criminal or administrative investigation if the Inspector General determines that an exclusive investigation is necessary to maintain the integrity of the investigation.
(d) Public Availability and Broad Dissemination.—
The policy established under subsection (a) shall be made available to the public and incorporated into training and curricula across the Coast Guard at all levels to ensure broad understanding of the policy among members and personnel of the Coast Guard.
(e) Definitions.—
In this section:
(1) Alleged misconduct.—
The term “alleged misconduct”—
(A) means a credible allegation that, if proven, would constitute a violation of—
(i) a provision of criminal law, including the Uniform Code of Military Justice (chapter 47 of title 10); or
(ii) a recognized standard, such as the Department of Defense Joint Ethics Regulation or other Federal regulation, including any other Department of Defense regulation and any Department of Homeland Security regulation; or
(B) could reasonably be expected to be of significance to the Secretary or the Inspector General of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, particularly in a case in which there is an element of misuse of position or of unauthorized personal benefit to the senior official, a family member, or an associate.
(2) Senior leader of the coast guard.—
The term “senior leader of the Coast Guard” means—
(A) an active duty, retired, or reserve officer of the Coast Guard in the grade of O–7 or higher;
(B) an officer of the Coast Guard selected for promotion to the grade of O–7;
(C) a current or former civilian member of the Senior Executive Service (career reserved) employed by the Coast Guard; or
(D) any civilian member of the Coast Guard whose position is deemed equivalent to that of a member of the Senior Executive Service (career reserved), as determined by the Office of the Inspector General of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating.
(Added Pub. L. 119–60, div. G, title LXXV, § 7511(a), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1804.)
heading: Editorial Notes
heading: References in Text
text: The date of enactment of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, referred to in subsec. (a), is the date of enactment of div. G of Pub. L. 119–60, which was approved Dec. 18, 2025.