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HR1223FEDERALSession 119Federal Billpassed chamber

Passed

The ANCHOR Act: Improving Cybersecurity and Internet for Research Ships

Original title: ANCHOR Act

Last action · May 21, 2025: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.Sponsors: Vince Fong and 5 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Would Do

The ANCHOR Act requires the National Science Foundation to develop a comprehensive plan to upgrade the cybersecurity and telecommunications systems of the . This plan aims to ensure these research vessels have the necessary technology for scientific missions, remote maintenance, and crew well-being.

Why it matters

This bill mandates a federal strategy to modernize the digital infrastructure of academic research ships, which will determine future funding requirements and operational standards for universities and laboratories that operate these vessels.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Research Universities and Laboratories

These institutions must consult on the development of the plan and may be required to participate in new funding or operational strategies for their vessels.

Directly affected

National Science Foundation

The agency is tasked with leading the development of the plan and coordinating with other federal and non-federal entities.

Directly affected

Research Vessel Personnel

The plan aims to improve their access to telemedicine, mental health services, and communication tools while deployed.

Key Facts

The Director of the National Science Foundation must submit a plan to improve cybersecurity and telecommunications for the U.S. Academic Research Fleet within 18 months of enactment.
The plan must assess current networking needs, cybersecurity requirements, and the costs of necessary equipment and personnel.
The plan must include a spending strategy involving the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and non-Federal vessel owners.
The Director must submit a progress report on the implementation of the plan no later than two years after the plan is submitted.

Show all 10 facts

The plan must consider network capabilities for telemedicine, mental health care, and remote counseling for personnel at sea.
The plan must address the ability to conduct real-time streaming for remote maintenance and scientific research.
The plan must include provisions for K-12 educational outreach and remote classroom teaching from vessels.
Cybersecurity assessments must align with guidance from CISA and NIST, and incorporate recommendations from the 2021 JASON report (JSR-21-10E).
The plan must evaluate the feasibility of centralizing data management or using consortial licensing agreements to reduce costs.
The bill defines the U.S. Academic Research Fleet as U.S.-flagged vessels operated by research universities and laboratories that participate in the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the U.S. Academic Research Fleet?

It consists of U.S.-flagged vessels operated by research universities and laboratories that are part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System.

Does this bill immediately fund new equipment?

No. This bill requires the creation of a plan and a spending strategy, but it does not authorize specific appropriations for equipment upgrades at this time.

Why is telemedicine mentioned in the bill?

The bill requires the plan to consider network bandwidth necessary to support the health and well-being of crew members, including remote mental health and crisis response services.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

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Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.

Procedural history

13 actions

May 21, 2025SenateCommittee
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
May 20, 2025House
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
May 20, 2025HouseFloor
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 412 - 11 (Roll no. 136). (text: 5/19/2025 CR H2113-2114)
May 20, 2025HouseFloor
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 412 - 11 (Roll no. 136). (text: 5/19/2025 CR H2113-2114)
May 20, 2025House
Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H2168)
May 19, 2025House
At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Babin objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was considered as withdrawn.

Show 7 earlier actions

May 19, 2025House
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1223.
May 19, 2025House
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2113-2115)
May 19, 2025House
Mr. Fong moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
Apr 29, 2025HouseCommittee
Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
Apr 29, 2025House
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Feb 12, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Feb 12, 2025HouseIntroduced
Introduced in House

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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Voting Record

Outcome not reportedHouse5/20/2025Voteview

Total

423

Yes: 412
No: 11
Present: 0
Not voting: 0
Abstain: 0

How they voted (423)

399 more members

Nicholas LangworthyRyes

Nathaniel MoranRyes

Lloyd DoggettDyes

Adriano EspaillatDyes

Charles FleischmannRyes

Nicole MalliotakisRyes

Bonnie Watson ColemanDyes

Pete AguilarDyes

Clay HigginsRyes

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormickDyes

Jennifer McClellanDyes

Richard McCormickRyes

Teresa Leger FernandezDyes

Anna Paulina LunaRyes

Darin LaHoodRyes

Raja KrishnamoorthiDyes

Brittany PettersenDyes

Glenn ThompsonRyes

Jared GoldenDyes

Guy ReschenthalerRyes

Marilyn StricklandDyes

H. GriffithRyes

LaMonica McIverDyes

Debbie DingellDyes

Christopher SmithRyes

Brian FitzpatrickRyes

Suhas SubramanyamDyes

Mario Diaz-BalartRyes

Bradley SchneiderDyes

Kristen McDonald RivetDyes

Scott FranklinRyes

Ronny JacksonRyes

Mark MessmerRyes

Mariannette Miller-MeeksRyes

Debbie Wasserman SchultzDyes

Christopher DeluzioDyes

Sydney Kamlager-DoveDyes

Michelle FischbachRyes

Melanie StansburyDyes

Diana HarshbargerRyes

Michael BaumgartnerRyes

Jefferson Van DrewRyes

April McClain DelaneyDyes

Nikki BudzinskiDyes

Dwight EvansDyes

Derrick Van OrdenRyes

Janice SchakowskyDyes

Full roll-call analysis →

Lobbying Activity

ANCHOR & ARROW LLC

on behalf of CX2 INC

Senate LDAMatched on title words onlyView filing on LDA.gov →

ANCHOR & ARROW LLC

on behalf of APEX TECHNOLOGY INC

Senate LDAMatched on title words onlyView filing on LDA.gov →

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Focus on Crew Well-being

The bill explicitly links technical network requirements to human-centric needs like mental health and telemedicine, marking a shift toward treating shipboard connectivity as a personnel welfare issue.

National Science Foundation

Connected Entities

Ms. Stevens, Office of Naval Research, National Science Foundation and 4 more

PersonMs. Stevens“Co-sponsor of the bill.”Map →

OrganizationOffice of Naval Research“Collaborator for plan implementation and upgrades.”Map →

OrganizationNational Science Foundation“The agency responsible for creating the required cybersecurity and telecommunica”Map →

PersonMr. Fong“Primary sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →

OrganizationCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency“Consulted for cybersecurity standards and guidance.”Map →

OrganizationNational Institute of Standards and Technology“Consulted for cybersecurity standards and guidance.”Map →

OrganizationJASON“A private scientific advisory group whose 2021 report on cybersecurity is refere”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.congress.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance45
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

What This Bill Would Do

Who It Would Affect

Key Facts

Frequently Asked Questions

News Coverage

Where This Stands

Procedural history

Version history

Voting Record

Lobbying Activity

Full breakdown

Sponsors

Discoveries

Focus on Crew Well-being

Connected Entities

Sources

Analysis Score

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