S 318 · 119th Congress · Science, Technology, Communications

ANCHOR Act

Introduced January 29, 2025 Latest action October 10, 2025 1 cosponsor

Sponsor

Latest action

Held at the desk.

Action timeline

Every recorded action on this bill, newest first. Stage badges color-code the legislative path.

Oct 10, 2025

floor Received in the House.

Oct 10, 2025

floor Held at the desk.

Oct 08, 2025

passed Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.

Oct 08, 2025

passed Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S7007-7009; text: CR S7008-7009)

Oct 08, 2025

floor Message on Senate action sent to the House.

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Oct 08, 2025 Engrossed in Senate

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Sep 29, 2025 Reported to Senate

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Jan 29, 2025 Introduced in Senate

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CRS summaries

Plain-English summaries written by the Congressional Research Service — neutral, nonpartisan staff who summarize bills as they advance through stages. The authoritative description of what each version of the bill does.

00 Introduced in Senate Jan 29, 2025

Accelerating Networking, Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research Act or the ANCHOR Act 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.

via Congressional Research Service · published through congress.gov

Changelog

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`rfh` / `rfs` — Referred to a committee for review.

`rh` / `rs` — Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).

`pcs` / `pch` — Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.

`eh` / `es` — Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.

`rdh` / `rds` — Received by the other chamber.

`eah` / `eas` — Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.

`ath` / `ats` — Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.

`enr` — Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.

`pl` — Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.

`pp` — Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.

Most bills die before `eh`/`es`. Going from `pcs` → `enr` is the full path through both chambers.

Line-level diff between text versions of this bill — what actually changed at each legislative stage.

+8 −173 34 unchanged

--- Reported (Senate)

+++ Engrossed (Senate)

@@ -1,182 +1,21 @@

[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

-[S. 318 Reported in Senate (RS)]

+[S. 318 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]

<DOC>

-Calendar No. 169

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 318

-[Report No. 119-64]

-To require a plan to improve the cybersecurity and telecommunications

-of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

-IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

-January 29, 2025

-Mr. Padilla (for himself and Mr. Sullivan) introduced the following

-bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,

-Science, and Transportation

-September 29, 2025

-Reported by Mr. Cruz, with an amendment

-[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed

-in italic]

-_______________________________________________________________________

-A BILL

+AN ACT

To require a plan to improve the cybersecurity and telecommunications

of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

United States of America in Congress assembled,

-<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

-<DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``Accelerating Networking,

-Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research Act'' or the

-``ANCHOR Act''.</DELETED>

-<DELETED>SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>

-<DELETED> In this Act:</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (1) U.S. academic research fleet.--The term ``U.S.

-Academic Research Fleet'' means the United States-flagged

-vessels that--</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (A) have been accepted into, and are

-active participants administered within, the

-University-National Oceanographic Laboratory

-System;</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (B) are operated as oceanographic research

-vessels by research universities and

-laboratories;</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (C) receive funding from the National

-Science Foundation; and</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (D) have achieved designation as a member

-vessel through a standard evaluation process.</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the

-Director of the National Science Foundation.</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (3) Oceanographic research vessel.--The term

-``oceanographic research vessel'' has the meaning given the

-term in section 2101 of title 46, United States Code.</DELETED>

-<DELETED>SEC. 3. PLAN TO IMPROVE CYBERSECURITY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

-OF U.S. ACADEMIC RESEARCH FLEET.</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of

-enactment of this Act, the Director shall, in consultation with the

-head of any Federal agency, university, or laboratory that owns or

-operates a vessel of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, submit to the

-Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and

-the Committee on Space, Science, and Technology of the House of

-Representatives a plan to improve the cybersecurity and

-telecommunications of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet.</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (b) Elements.--The plan required by subsection (a) shall

-include--</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (1) an assessment of the telecommunications and

-networking needs of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet,

-consistent with the typical scientific mission of that

-vessel;</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (2) in accordance with guidance issued by the

-Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the

-National Institute for Standards and Technology, an assessment

-of cybersecurity needs appropriate for--</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (A) the ownership of vessels within the

-U.S. Academic Research Fleet; and</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (B) the typical research functions and

-topics of such vessels;</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (3) an assessment of the costs necessary to meet

-the needs described in paragraphs (1) and (2), including--

-</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (A) any necessary equipment, such as

-satellite communications equipment, software, high-

-performance computing clusters shipboard and shoreside,

-or enterprise hardware; and</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (B) estimated personnel costs in excess of

-current expenditures, including any necessary training,

-support, or logistics;</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (4) an assessment of the time required to

-implement any upgrades required to meet the needs described in

-paragraphs (1) and (2) under varying budgets and funding

-scenarios;</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (5) the adoption of common solutions or consortial

-licensing agreements, or by centralizing elements of fleet

-cybersecurity, telecommunications or data management at a

-single facility; and</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (6) in consultation with any non-Federal owners of

-a vessel of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, a spending plan

-for the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval

-Research, non-Federal owners of vessels of the U.S. Academic

-Research Fleet, users of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, or

-any combination thereof, to provide funding to cover the costs

-described in paragraph (3).</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (c) Considerations.--The Director shall, in preparing the

-plan required by subsection (a), consider--</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (1) the network capabilities, including speed and

-bandwidth targets, necessary to meet the scientific mission

-needs of each class of vessel within the U.S. Academic Research

-Fleet for such purposes as--</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (A) executing the critical functions and

-communications of the vessel;</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (B) providing network access for the

-health and well-being of deployed personnel, including

-communications to conduct telemedicine (including

-mental health care), counseling, interviews with crisis

-response providers, and other remote individual care

-and services;</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (C) as necessary to meet operations,

-uploading any scientific data to a shoreside server,

-including the copying of data off ship for disaster

-recovery or risk mitigation purposes;</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (D) as appropriate, conducting real-time

-streaming to enable shore-based observers to

-participate in ship-based maintenance or research

-activities;</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (E) real-time coordinated viewing of--

-</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (i) scientific instrumentation so

-that it is possible to conduct scientific

-surveys and seafloor mapping with fully remote

-subject-matter experts; and</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (ii) critical operational

-technology by manufacturers and vendors so that

-it is possible to carry out maintenance and

-repairs to systems with limited expertise on

-the vessel, with fully remote subject-matter

-experts advising; and</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (F) as appropriate, enabling video

-communications to allow improved outreach to, and other

-educational services for, K-12 students, including

-occasional remote classroom teaching for instructors at

-sea to improve oceanographic access for students;

-and</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (2) in consultation with the Director of the

-Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Director

-of the National Institute for Standards and Technology, and the

-heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate--</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (A) the cybersecurity recommendations in

-the report of the private scientific advisory group

-known as JASON entitled ``Cybersecurity at NSF Major

-Facilities'' (JSR-21-10E) and dated October 2021 as

-applied to the U.S. Academic Research Fleet;</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (B) aligning with international standards

-and guidance for information security, including the

-use of encryption for sensitive information, the

-detection and handling of security incidents, and other

-areas determined relevant by the Director;</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (C) facilitating access to cybersecurity

-personnel and training of research and support

-personnel; and</DELETED>

-<DELETED> (D) the requirements for controlled

-unclassified or classified information.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

@@ -295,25 +134,21 @@

and training of research and support personnel; and

(D) the requirements for controlled unclassified or

classified information.

-Calendar No. 169

+Passed the Senate October 8, 2025.

+Attest:

+Secretary.

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 318

-[Report No. 119-64]

_______________________________________________________________________

-A BILL

+AN ACT

To require a plan to improve the cybersecurity and telecommunications

of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, and for other purposes.

-_______________________________________________________________________

-September 29, 2025

-Reported with an amendment

Lobbying activity

Organizations whose LDA filings reference this bill, ranked by filing count. Position not disclosed — LDA does not require lobbyists to report support / oppose / monitor. Bill-number references can be stale (lobbyists sometimes copy text year-over-year), so verify against the filing description.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

BUDSCI

filings · 2026 Q3

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA

SCI

filings · 2025 Q2

CTIA-THE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION

TEC

filings · 2025 Q2

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Cosponsors (1)

Members who signed on to support this bill.

Sullivan R