82 FR 20418 - Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Request for Public Input

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 82 (May 1, 2017)

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) invites public comment on methods to improve the prevention of, and response to sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other inappropriate conduct, as well as methods to improve the shipboard climate during the United States Merchant Marine Academy Midshipman Sea Year experience. The purpose of this public notice is to gather comments to assist in the development of a statutorily mandated report to Congress with actionable recommendations.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 82 (Monday, May 1, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20418-20420]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-08685]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket No. MARAD 2017-0079]


Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Request for Public Input

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) invites public comment on 
methods to improve the prevention of, and response to sexual 
harassment, sexual assault, or other inappropriate conduct, as well as 
methods to improve the shipboard climate during the United States 
Merchant Marine Academy Midshipman Sea Year experience. The purpose of 
this public notice is to gather comments to assist in the development 
of a statutorily mandated report to Congress with actionable 
recommendations.

DATES: The deadline to submit comments is June 30, 2017. See Submitting 
Your Comments and Opinions below for specific directions.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to the docket number above and 
submitted by one of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov/. 
Follow the online instruction for submitted comments.

[[Page 20419]]

     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building 
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. 
ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Gilmour, Acting Deputy Director, 
Office of Training Ships, Innovation, and Outreach, Maritime 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, Washington, DC 20590; (202) 
366-1882; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Section 3513 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2017 (NDAA) requires MARAD to convene a Sexual Assault Prevention 
and Response Working Group (SAPR) that will prepare a report to 
Congress. The statute requires the SAPR Working Group to examine 
methods to improve the prevention of, and response to, sexual 
harassment, sexual assault, or other inappropriate conduct, as well as 
methods to improve the shipboard climate, particularly in the context 
of the Sea Year experience of United States Merchant Marine Academy 
cadets. To assist in the process, MARAD is seeking public input to 
focus on the following seven (7) issues:
    1. Options that could promote a climate of honor and respect, and a 
culture that is intolerant of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or 
other inappropriate conduct and those who commit it, with operators of 
vessels of the United States;
    2. Strategies to raise awareness of sexual harassment, sexual 
assault, or other inappropriate conduct with operators of vessels of 
the United States;
    3. Options that could be implemented by the operators of vessels of 
the United States that would remove any barriers to the reporting of 
sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other inappropriate conduct that 
occurs during a cadet's Sea Year experience and protect the victim's 
confidentiality;
    4. Potential program or policy to improve the prevention of, and 
response to, incidents of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other 
inappropriate conduct;
    5. Potential program or policy requiring crews to complete a sexual 
harassment and sexual assault prevention and response training program 
before the cadet's Sea Year that includes--
    (A) fostering a shipboard climate--
    (i) that does not tolerate sexual harassment, sexual assault, or 
other inappropriate conduct;
    (ii) in which persons assigned to vessel crews are encouraged to 
intervene to prevent such potential incidents; and
    (iii) that encourages victims to report any incident of sexual 
harassment, sexual assault, or other inappropriate conduct; and
    (B) promoting an understanding of the needs of, and the resources 
available to, a victim after an incident of sexual harassment, sexual 
assault, or other inappropriate conduct;
    6. Other feasible changes to Sea Year training at the Academy, and 
corresponding changes to curricula, to improve prevention of and 
response to incidents of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and other 
inappropriate conduct; and
    7. How vessel operators could ensure the confidentiality of a 
report of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other inappropriate 
conduct in order to protect the victim and prevent retribution.

Submitting Your Comments and Opinions

    1. We have opened a docket at http://www.regulations.gov to allow 
for submission of written comments for consideration by the SAPR.
    2. You may submit your inputs identified by DOT Docket Number 
MARAD-2017-0079 by any of the following methods: Web site/Federal 
eRulemaking Portal, Fax, Mail or Hand Delivery. Please use only one of 
these means for each submission. All submissions must include the 
agency name and docket number for this matter. Specific instructions 
follow.
    3. For the Web site/Federal eRulemaking Portal, go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments on 
the electronic docket site. To submit your input, type the docket 
number (MARAD-2017-0079) in the ``SEARCH'' box and click ``SEARCH.'' 
Click on ``Submit a Comment'' on the line associated with this Docket 
Number. If you submit comment via www.regulations.gov, please note that 
inputs submitted to www.regulations.gov are not immediately posted to 
the site. It may take several business days before your submission will 
be posted on the electronic docket.
    4. For submission by telefacsimile/FAX, transmit your agenda topic, 
comment or idea to (202) 493-2251. Be sure to identify the submission 
by DOT Docket Number MARAD-2017-0079.
    5. Submissions by Mail or Hand Delivery should go to Docket 
Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., West Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590, between 
9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal 
holidays. If you submit your inputs by mail or hand delivery, submit 
them in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable 
for copying and electronic filing. If you submit comments by mail and 
would like to know that they reached the Facility, please enclose a 
stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope.
    6. If you FAX, mail, or hand deliver your input we recommend that 
you include your name and a mailing address, an email address, or a 
telephone number in the body of your document so that we can contact 
you if we have questions regarding your submission.
    7. Note: All comments submitted for this purpose, including any 
personal information provided, will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov.
    8. For access to the docket to read background documents or inputs 
received, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time or to Room W12-
140 of the Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal Holidays. To view the docket electronically, 
type the docket number ``MARAD-2017-0079'' in the ``SEARCH'' box and 
click ``Search.'' Click and Open Docket Folder on the line associated 
with this rulemaking.

Privacy Act

    In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the 
public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts these 
comments, without edit, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the 
system of records notice, DOT/ALL-14 FDMS, accessible through 
www.dot.gov/privacy. To facilitate comment tracking and response, we 
encourage commenters to provide their name, or the name of their 
organization; however, submission of names is completely optional. 
Whether or not commenters identify themselves, all timely comments will 
be fully considered. If you wish to provide comments containing 
proprietary or confidential information, please contact the agency for 
alternate submission instructions.


[[Page 20420]]


    Authority:  5 U.S.C. 610; E.O. 13563, 76 FR 3821, Jan. 21 2011; 
E.O. 12866, 58 FR 51735, Oct. 4, 1993.

    By Order of the Executive Director.

    Dated: April 25, 2017.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-08685 Filed 4-28-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-81-P