National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act of 2021

Summary

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act of 202 1 This bill addresses sexual harassment and sexual assault involving personnel of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The bill specifies that NOAA's sexual harassment prevention and response policy applies to personnel such as observers, at-sea monitors, and voting members and staff of regional fishery management councils. It also requires victim advocates at NOAA to be full-time employees whose sole job is advocacy for survivors rather than a volunteer collateral duty of an existing employee. Additionally, the bill expands reporting requirements on sexual harassment, sexual assault, and equal opportunity employment. The bill also provides for a restricted reporting structure that allows survivors of sexual assault to receive services without triggering an investigative process. The Office of Marine and Aviation Operations within NOAA must develop and implement a policy to report to the Coast Guard Suspension and Revocation National Center of Expertise the names of NOAA personnel who are under investigation for an offense detrimental to good discipline and safety at sea, such as sexual harassment or sexual assault or any other offense for which suspension or revocation of a merchant mariner credential is either mandatory or sought. Further, the bill removes the requirements that acts of assault, resistance, opposition, intimidation, sexual harassment, bribery, or interference with a fishery observer be forcible in nature and occur on a vessel to be unlawful.

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Timeline

1. 28 April 2021

   Introduced

   Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 28 April 2021

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 28 April 2021

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

4. 5 July 2021

   Referred

   Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.

   Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Introduced in House · 28 April 2021 · Official file

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in House (text)

  Introduced in House · EN · 28 April 2021

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in House (PDF)

  Introduced in House · EN · 28 April 2021

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 28 April 2021

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] · D · Sponsor
• DON YOUNG · R · Sponsor
• Jared Huffman · D · Sponsor
• Jenniffer González-Colón · R · Sponsor
• · hsii00 · Standing

Related records

• related to ← Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act of 2022