Letter to the Hon. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader and the Hon. Charles Schumer, Senate Minority Leader - Gillibrand Urges Senate Leadership To Take Action Now To Pass Her Bipartisan Bill To Reform Sexual Harassment Reporting Process In Congress

Letter

Dear Leader McConnell and Leader Schumer,

I am writing to respectfully request that the Senate take action to address sexual harassment on Capitol Hill. In the past weeks and months it has grown increasingly clear that Congress's current system for handling discrimination and harassment is woefully inadequate and out of date. The House has already taken steps to reform this process by passing bipartisan legislation updating that process and the resources available to employees who have been victimized. Yet while a full quarter of the Senate has joined me from both sides of the aisle to introduce the Congressional Harassment Reform Act of 2017 (S.2236) there has yet to be a hearing or a vote. The changes that need to be made are simple and urgent and I ask that this bill either receive a vote on the floor in the next month or that the bill text be included within the upcoming Omnibus Appropriations bill that is due by March 23rd.

The Congressional Harassment Reform Act of 2017 would bring much needed accountability and transparency to the way Congress handles sexual harassment and discrimination complaints and create an environment where staffers can come forward if something happens to them, without having to fear that it will ruin their careers. My bill would modernize and streamline the process for sexual harassment victims to report within the Office of Compliance. It would create a designated person within the Office of Compliance to serve as a confidential advisor for victims of harassment. The bill would remove the daunting requirement that victims participate in mediation before filing a formal complaint against an assailant and it would require a climate survey to give a comprehensive analysis of the scope of this problem in Congress. The bill would give the interns in our offices access to the same resources as staff-members; and it would require that every office post notices that detail the rights and protections of our employees. Lastly, it would hold Members personally responsible for their own actions by requiring them to pay any settlements out of their own pockets instead of relying on a taxpayer-funded account.

Something must be done. The House has acted, now it is time for the Senate to do its part. The more time that goes by without addressing this broken system, the more people suffer. Offices suffer from the lack of certainty about what is required of them. Staffers suffer when they feel as though they have no place safe to turn in the face of harassment and discrimination. The taxpayers suffer when they are required to shoulder the financial burden of our elected officials' poor behavior.

This issue is not going away, Congress needs to set a better example by creating a system where victims feel comfortable seeking assistance and justice. Thank you for your consideration and I urge you to pass the Congressional Harassment Reform Act of 2017 without delay.

Sincerely,

Kirsten Gillibrand

United States Senator

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