A Republican bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Helping Allies Respond to Piracy, Overfishing, and Oceanic Negligence Act" or the "HARPOON Act," aims to amend title 10 of the United States Code. It authorizes the Secretary of Defense to conduct or support capacity-building programs for foreign security forces to counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The Secretary and the Commandant of the Coast Guard are directed to engage with foreign partners to establish joint patrols. These patrols are intended to combat transnational crime and enhance regional security. Additionally, the bill requires annual reports to be submitted to specific congressional committees regarding these engagements.
Yes· 3 of 4
- Scored +6
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?
The bill seeks to counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing to protect ocean resources.
- Scored +5
Does this strengthen ties with allied countries?
The bill directs the Secretary and Commandant to engage with foreign partners to establish joint patrols.
- Scored +3
Does this put more money into stopping terrorism?
The bill aims to combat transnational crime through enhanced security partnerships.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Enhanced Regional Security and Crime Combat: By engaging foreign partners to establish joint patrols, the bill seeks to combat transnational crime and enhance regional security (Section 4(a)).
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Countering Illegal Fishing: The authorization of capacity-building programs for foreign security forces is intended to counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing (Section 3).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Resource Limitations: The bill notes that partnerships could face limitations due to insufficient resources, which may impact the effectiveness of the program (Section 4(b)(1)(B)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this strengthen ties with allied countries? — The bill directs the Secretary and Commandant to engage with foreign partners to establish joint patrols. Does this put more money into stopping terrorism? — The bill aims to combat transnational crime through enhanced security partnerships.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this better protect air, water and wildlife? — The bill seeks to counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing to protect ocean resources.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would farmers be better off under this? — By combating illegal fishing, the bill helps protect legitimate global food and resource supplies.
- 6/15/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 8/1/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Introduced in Senate
Cory BookerDemocrat · New Jersey