House · On Motion to Suspend the Rules and PassPassed
Yea 412 Nay 11 Present / not voting 10
H.R. 1223 · 119th CongressIn committee
ANCHOR Act
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Live record from Congress.gov, updated as the official record changes.
What this bill would do
Official summary · Congressional Research ServiceAccelerating 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 operation of ARF vessels and their specific research functions;
the costs necessary to meet these needs;
the time required to implement necessary upgrades; and
opportunities for the adoption of common solutions or consortial licensing agreements, or for the centralization of cybersecurity, telecommunications, or data management at a single facility.
The plan must also include 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.
Among other factors specified in the bill, the NSF must consider, as appropriate, the network capabilities necessary to meet mission needs (e.g., to upload data to cloud-based or 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 18 months of the bill's enactment, and the NSF must later report to Congress on the plan's implementation.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on February 12, 2025. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Status
Introduced
February 12, 2025
In committee
May 21, 2025
Passed a chamber
Cleared Congress
Enacted
Common questions
Composed from the official recordWhere is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 21, 2025: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
Yes. 1 recorded roll-call vote cites this measure, listed further down this page with every member's position.
Who is behind it?
Vince Fong (R-CA) introduced it on February 12, 2025, and 5 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 3 Democrats, 2 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on February 12, 2025, 575 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 477 days ago, on May 21, 2025.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HousePassed on a recorded vote (official bill record may lag)
- SenateAwaiting Senate vote
- PresidentAwaits both chambers