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S 318 Passed a chamber

Requires the National Science Foundation to produce a plan, within one year, for improving cybersecurity and telecommunications on the federally funded U.S. Academic Research Fleet of oceanographic research vessels.

Official title: ANCHOR Act

Next stop House: awaiting action
Timeline each lane is a chamber; dates pull from congress.gov actions
House
Received 10-OCT-2025
Senate
Introduced 29-JAN-2025
Referred 29-JAN-2025
Approved by committee 21-MAY-2025
Reported 29-SEP-2025
On the calendar 29-SEP-2025
Passed 08-OCT-2025
Key points
  • Requires the NSF Director, with input from relevant federal agencies and vessel owners, to submit the plan to the Senate Commerce and House Science committees within one year.
  • Requires the plan to assess networking and cybersecurity needs, the costs of meeting them, and the time needed under different budget scenarios.
  • Requires the plan to consider shared licensing, centralized fleet services, and a spending plan drawing on NSF, the Office of Naval Research, vessel owners, and users.
  • Defines the fleet as U.S.-flagged vessels in the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System that receive NSF funding.
AI-generated from the Engrossed in Senate text of 08-OCT-2025 · verify · report an error
Official CRS summary

Covers an older version. The newest CRS summary describes the bill as of "Introduced in Senate" (29-JAN-2025); the text has changed since (Engrossed in Senate, 08-OCT-2025).

CRS is the Library of Congress's nonpartisan research office. Read it on congress.gov
Committee referrals (1) Policy area

Science, Technology, Communications

Sponsor Alex Padilla (D-CA) Cosponsors · 1
■ 1 R
1 Republican