Title: A bill to improve provisions of law relating to sexual harassment and assault prevention at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to ensure that allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment are investigated thoroughly and promptly.
NOAA must ensure that such allegations are investigated within 48 hours after they are reported.
If pursuant to an investigation NOAA finds evidence that a crime has been committed it must refer the matter to the appropriate law enforcement authorities, including the appropriate United States Attorney's office.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2782 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2782

To improve provisions of law relating to sexual harassment and assault 
prevention at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 5, 2019

 Ms. Cantwell introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To improve provisions of law relating to sexual harassment and assault 
prevention at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 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. IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT 
              PREVENTION AT THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC 
              ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Anonymous Reporting.--Subtitle C of title XXXV of the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (33 U.S.C. 894 et seq.) 
is amended--
            (1) in section 3541(b)(3)(B) (33 U.S.C. 894(b)(3)(B)), by 
        striking ``confidentially'' and inserting ``anonymously''; and
            (2) in section 3542(b)(5)(B) (33 U.S.C. 894a(b)(5)(B)), by 
        striking ``confidentially'' and inserting ``anonymously''.
    (b) Investigative Requirement.--Such subtitle is amended--
            (1) by redesignating sections 3546 and 3547 as sections 
        3548 and 3549, respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after section 3545 the following:

``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 assault reported under 
        section 3541 and each allegation of sexual harassment 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 sexual assault reported 
        under section 3541 or sexual harassment 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 sexual assault or sexual harassment under 
section 3541 or 3542, respectively, and commencement of an 
investigation of the allegation 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.''.
    (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 2(b) of 
such Act is amended by striking the items relating to sections 3546 and 
3547 and inserting the following new items:

``Sec. 3546. Investigation requirement.
``Sec. 3547. Criminal referral.
``Sec. 3548. Annual report on sexual assaults in the National Oceanic 
                            and Atmospheric Administration.
``Sec. 3549. Sexual assault defined.''.
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