Title: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act of 2020
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act of 2020
This bill addresses sexual harassment and sexual assault involving personnel of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Specifically, the bill

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6636 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6636

To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 to 
 address sexual harassment involving National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
           Administration personnel, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 28, 2020

Ms. Bonamici (for herself, Mr. Young, Mr. Huffman, Miss Gonzalez-Colon 
  of Puerto Rico, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Case, Mrs. Dingell, and Mr. Cox of 
 California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 to 
 address sexual harassment involving National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
           Administration personnel, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements 
Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

    Except as otherwise specifically provided, whenever in this Act an 
amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal 
of, a provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a 
provision of subtitle C of title XXXV of Public Law 114-328 (130 Stat. 
2800 et seq.; 33 U.S.C. 894 et seq.).

SEC. 3. POLICY ON THE PREVENTION OF AND RESPONSE TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT 
              INVOLVING NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION 
              PERSONNEL.

    (a) Covered Personnel.--Section 3541(a) (130 Stat. 2800) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``Not later'' and inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--Not later''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Included personnel.--The individuals who work with or 
        conduct business on behalf of the Administration referred to in 
        paragraph (1) include the following:
                    ``(A) Observers and at-sea monitors required by the 
                National Marine Fisheries Service to be aboard 
                commercial fishing vessels and other privately owned 
                vessels, barges, or platforms for--
                            ``(i) commercial fisheries observation 
                        required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
                        Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 
                        et seq.);
                            ``(ii) protected species or endangered 
                        species observation required by the Marine 
                        Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 
                        et seq.) or the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
                        (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or
                            ``(iii) platform removal observation.
                    ``(B) Voting members and executive and 
                administrative staff of regional fishery management 
                councils established by section 302 of the Magnuson-
                Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 
                U.S.C. 1852).''.
    (b) Mechanism for Anonymous Reporting of Incidents.--Section 
3541(b)(3)(B) (130 Stat. 2800) is amended to read as follows:
                    ``(B) incidents of sexual harassment can be 
                anonymously reported to the Office of Inclusion and 
                Civil Rights of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                Administration or to the program established under 
                section 3541(b)(1); and''.
    (c) Inclusion of Equal Employment in Quarterly Reports.--Section 
3541(f) (130 Stat. 2801) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``and equal employment'' after ``sexual 
        harassment'' each place it appears; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as 
                subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively; and
                    (B) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the 
                following:
                    ``(C) A synopsis of each case and the disciplinary 
                action taken (if any) in each case.''.

SEC. 4. COMPREHENSIVE POLICY ON PREVENTION OF AND RESPONSE TO SEXUAL 
              ASSAULTS.

    (a) Covered Personnel.--Section 3542(a) (130 Stat. 2801) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``Not later'' and inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--Not Later''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Included personnel.--The individuals who work with or 
        conduct business on behalf of the Administration referred to in 
        paragraph (1) include the individuals described in section 
        3541(a)(2).''.
    (b) Mechanism for Anonymous Reporting of Incidents.--Section 
3542(b)(5)(B) (130 Stat. 2801) is amended to read as follows:
                    ``(B) incidents of sexual assault can be 
                anonymously reported to the program established under 
                section 3541(b)(1).''.
    (c) Victim Advocates.--
            (1) In general.--Section 3542(c)(2) (130 Stat. 2802) is 
        amended to read as follows:
            ``(2) Victim advocates.--For purposes of this subsection, a 
        victim advocate is a full-time permanent employee of the 
        Administration trained in and responsible solely for matters 
        relating to sexual assault and the comprehensive policy 
        developed under subsection (a).''.
            (2) Location.--Section 3542(c)(4) (130 Stat. 2802) is 
        amended by inserting ``full-time'' after ``stationed''.

SEC. 5. INVESTIGATION AND CRIMINAL REFERRAL REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Redesignation.--Sections 3546 and 3547 (130 Stat. 2804, 2805) 
are redesignated as sections 3551 and 3552, respectively.
    (b) In General.--Inserting the following after section 3545:

``SEC. 3546. INVESTIGATION REQUIREMENT.

    ``(a) Requirement To Investigate.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of Commerce, acting 
        through the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, shall 
        ensure that each allegation of sexual harassment reported under 
        section 3541 and each allegation of sexual assault reported 
        under section 3542 is investigated thoroughly and promptly.
            ``(2) Sense of congress on commencement of investigation.--
        It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary should ensure 
        that an investigation of an alleged incident of sexual 
        harassment reported under section 3541 or sexual assault 
        reported under section 3542 commences not later than 48 hours 
        after the time at which the allegation was reported.
    ``(b) Notification of Delay.--In any case in which the time between 
the reporting of an alleged incident of sexual harassment or sexual 
assault under section 3541 or 3542, respectively, and commencement of 
an investigation of the allegation under this section exceeds 48 hours, 
the Secretary shall notify the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of 
the House of Representatives of the delay.

``SEC. 3547. CRIMINAL REFERRAL.

    ``If the Secretary of Commerce finds, pursuant to an investigation 
under section 3546, evidence that a crime may have been committed, the 
Secretary shall refer the matter to the appropriate law enforcement 
authorities, including the appropriate United States Attorney.

``SEC. 3548. EXCEPTIONS REGARDING ANONYMITY OF SURVIVORS IN CERTAIN 
              CASES.

    ``(a) In General.--In any case in which an employee, member of the 
commissioned officer corps, or individual conducting business on behalf 
of the administration elects anonymous reporting under section 
3541(b)(3)(B) or 3542(b)(5)(B), disclosure of their personally 
identifying information is authorized to the following persons or 
organizations when disclosure would be for the following reasons:
            ``(1) To National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
        staff or law enforcement personnel, when authorized by the 
        survivor in writing.
            ``(2) To National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
        staff or law enforcement personnel to prevent or lessen a 
        serious or imminent threat to the health or safety of the 
        survivor or another person.
            ``(3) To a victim advocate or healthcare provider, when 
        required for the provision of victim services.
            ``(4) To a State or Federal court, when ordered by such 
        court or if disclosure is required by Federal or State statute.
    ``(b) Notice of Disclosure and Privacy Protection.--In any case in 
which information is disclosed under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall--
            ``(1) make reasonable attempts to provide notice to the 
        employee, member, or individual whose personally identifying 
        information is disclosed; and
            ``(2) take such action as is necessary to protect the 
        privacy and safety of the employee, member, or individual.

``SEC. 3549. RESTRICTED REPORTING.

    ``(a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
enactment of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual 
Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act of 2020, the 
Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Under Secretary for Oceans 
and Atmosphere, shall develop a mechanism to provide a system of 
restricted reporting.
    ``(b) Restricted Reporting Defined.--In this section the term 
`restricted reporting' means a system of reporting that allows 
employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
members of the Commissioned Officer Corps of the Administration, and 
individuals who work with or conduct business on behalf of the 
Administration who are sexually assaulted to confidentially disclose 
the details of their assault to specified individuals and receive the 
services outlined in this subtitle title--
            ``(1) without the dissemination of their personally 
        identifying information except as necessary for the provision 
        of such services; and
            ``(2) without automatically triggering an investigative 
        process.

``SEC. 3550. MARINER REFERRAL.

    ``The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, acting 
through the Director of the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations 
and in consultation with the Commandant of the Coast Guard, shall, 
within 180 days after the date of the enactment of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention 
Improvements Act of 2020, develop and implement a policy to report to 
the Coast Guard Suspension and Revocation National Center of Expertise, 
the names of personnel of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration who--
            ``(1) are the subject of a claim of an act or offense 
        detrimental to good discipline and safety at sea, such as 
        sexual harassment or sexual assault that is substantiated by an 
        investigation under section 3546, or any other substantiated 
        claim of an act or offense for which suspension or revocation 
        of a credential is either mandatory or sought pursuant to part 
        5 of title 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations; and
            ``(2) are--
                    ``(A) employees or contractors of the 
                Administration required to hold a valid merchant 
                mariner credential as a condition of employment; or
                    ``(B) crew of a vessel that, at the time of such 
                act or offence, was operating under a contract with the 
                Administration.''.

SEC. 6. ANNUAL REPORT ON SEXUAL ASSAULTS, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, AND EQUAL 
              EMPLOYMENT.

    Section 3551, as redesignated by section 5 of this Act (130 Stat. 
2804), is amended--
            (1) by striking the section heading and inserting the 
        following: ``annual report on sexual assaults, sexual 
        harassment, and equal employment in the national oceanic and 
        atmospheric administration.'';
            (2) in subsection (a), by inserting ``, sexual harassment, 
        and equal employment'' after ``sexual assaults''; and
            (3) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``, including a 
                synopsis of each case and the disciplinary action 
                taken, if any, in each case'' before the period at the 
                end; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) A summary of the number of change of station, unit 
        transfer, and change of work location requests submitted to the 
        Under Secretary under section 3544(a), including the number of 
        such requests that were denied.
            ``(6) A summary of the number of cases referred to the 
        Coast Guard under section 5 of National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention 
        Improvements Act of 2020.
            ``(7) The number of alleged sexual assaults and sexual 
        harassment cases involving fisheries, protected species, and 
        endangered species observers, including--
                    ``(A) a synopsis of each case and the status;
                    ``(B) the disposition of any investigation; and
                    ``(C) a description of the fishery management 
                region and fishery or the geographic region and type of 
                permitted operation in which the assault or harassment 
                is alleged to have occurred, as appropriate.''.

SEC. 7. CONFORMING AND CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Conforming Amendments.--Subtitle C of title XXXV of Public Law 
114-328 (130 Stat. 2800 et seq.; 33 U.S.C. 894 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by striking the term ``victims'' each place it appears 
        and inserting ``survivors'';
            (2) in section 3541(b)(2)(B), by striking ``victim'' and 
        inserting ``target of sexual harassment'';
            (3) in section 3542(c)(5)(A), by striking ``victim of'' and 
        inserting ``survivor of'';
            (4) in section 3543--
                    (A) in the heading, by striking ``victim'' and 
                inserting ``survivor''; and
                    (B) by striking ``victim'' and inserting 
                ``survivor'';
            (5) in section 3544--
                    (A) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) by striking ``Victims'' and inserting 
                        ``Survivors''; and
                            (ii) in paragraph (1), by striking ``was'' 
                        each place such term appears and inserting 
                        ``is''; and
                    (B) by striking ``victim'' each place such term 
                appears and inserting ``survivor''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--Each of the tables of contents in section 
1(b) and at the beginning of title XXXV of Public Law 114-328 (130 
Stat. 2000, 2773) is amended by striking the items relating to sections 
3546 and 3547 and inserting the following:

``3546. Investigation requirement.
``3547. Criminal referral.
``3548. Exceptions regarding anonymity of survivors in certain cases.
``3549. Restricted reporting.
``3550. Mariner Referral.
``3551. Annual report on sexual assaults, sexual harassment, and equal 
                            employment in the National Oceanic and 
                            Atmospheric Administration.
``3552. Sexual assault defined.''.

SEC. 8. PROHIBITED ACTS.

    Section 307(1)(L) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1857(1)(L)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``forcibly''; and
            (2) by striking ``on a vessel''.

SEC. 9. PROHIBITION ON SERVICE IN THE NOAA COMMISSIONED OFFICER CORPS 
              BY INDIVIDUALS CONVICTED OF CERTAIN SEXUAL OFFENSES.

    Section 261(a) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (33 U.S.C. 
3071(a)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (16) as 
        paragraphs (5) through (17), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
            ``(4) Section 657, relating to prohibition on service by 
        individuals convicted of certain sexual offenses.''.
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