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Education and ScienceS. 318Comments

ANCHOR Act

Official title: A bill to require a plan to improve the cybersecurity and telecommunications of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, and for other purposes.

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Where the Bill Stands

  1. Introduced, done
  2. Committee, done
  3. Floor Vote, done
  4. Outcome, current stage

What This Bill Does

This bill requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a plan to improve the cybersecurity and telecommunications capabilities of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet (ARF).

ARF is comprised of U.S.-flagged vessels that provide at-sea laboratories where oceanographic scientists, educators, and students research and learn about marine science.

The bill requires the plan to include assessments of

  • telecommunications and networking needs of ARF, consistent with typical scientific missions;
  • cybersecurity needs appropriate for the ownership of ARF vessels and their typical research functions;
  • the costs necessary to meet these needs; and
  • the time required to implement necessary upgrades.

The plan must also include (1) a spending plan for the NSF, the Office of Naval Research, nonfederal owners of ARF vessels, and users of the vessels to cover identified costs; and (2) a proposal regarding the adoption of common solutions or consortial licensing agreements, or the centralization of cybersecurity, telecommunications, or data management at a single facility.

Among other factors specified in the bill, the NSF must consider the network capabilities necessary to meet mission needs (e.g., to upload data to shoreside servers), international standards and guidance for information security, and requirements for controlled unclassified or classified information.

The plan must be provided to Congress within one year of the bill's enactment.

Sponsors

Related Documents

Bill on Congress.govWeb Page ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Timeline

  1. House floor actionsReceived in the House.
  2. Library of CongressPassed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  3. SenatePassed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S7007-7009; text: CR S7008-7009)
  4. Floor Vote
  5. Passed the Senate
  6. SenateCommittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 119-64.
  7. SenateCommittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
  8. Library of CongressIntroduced in Senate
  9. SenateRead twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  10. Introduced
  11. Committee

Comments

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