This week, the House of Representatives will be voting on whether to require anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training for all of its members as well as their staff. A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the resolution, requiring that all members, congressional staff, interns and fellows receive both anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training. Their Senate counterparts have already approved a similar measure requiring that all members, staff members and interns participate in anti-harassment training.
The vote followed the multitude of sexual harassment accusations against Democratic Senator of Minnesota Al Franken, Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore and Michigan Democratic Congressman John Conyers.
Sexual harassment training, up until now, has been optional and almost never a requirement in Capitol Hill. If the vote passes, all members and employees will be required to receive training within the first 90 days of each Congressional session in which they became a member or employee. It also mandates that every office must display a poster created by the Office of Compliance outlining the legal rights of employees and the means through which they can report violations in the workplace.
The House Administration Committee Chairman Gregg Harper discusses the resolution as one of its co-sponsors on Friday, saying “Since becoming Chairman in January, I have made it a priority to improve the overall professionalism of the House of Representatives. Instituting mandatory training is a first step in ensuring we are creating a safe and productive environment for everyone in the House.”
The GOP-controlled House is also planning on holding a hearing in early December to determine whether the Office of Compliance, the body that deals with House harassment complaints, has the authority to reveal the details of settlements in such cases. This move could expose dozens of other lawmakers and prominent public figures previously accused of harassment.
The House Administration Committee, who will hold the hearing, will likely look into settlements that have been made in the past and analyze the ability of the House to publicize and bring transparency to such instances that have already occurred.
Until then, lawmakers such as California Democrat Jackie Speier and Republican Virginia Congresswoman Barbara Comstock, along with many other lawmakers, will continue working tirelessly to get Congress to address and adopt anti-harassment legislation.
In the past, lawmakers have widely ignored Speier, who has been trying to get Congress to adopt a similar mandate for years. However, this attempt at reform has come at a time when it seems like every week more men in the media, politics, entertainment and the private sector are facing allegations of sexual harassment, hopefully enabling the vote to pass.
Photography by Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call
Sources: The Washington Post, Politico