Rosen Calls on House and Senate Leaders to Pass Legislation to End Taxpayer-Funded Settlements for Sexual Harassment in Congress

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Jacky Rosen (NV-03) released the following statement in response to reports of House and Senate leaders removing language from the omnibus bill that would end the taxpayer-funded settlement process for sexual harassment and assault claims in Congress:

"The fact that more than $17 million dollars of taxpayer money has been used for Members of Congress to secretively settle harassment disputes is outrageous," said Rosen. "Instead of working to promote transparency and hold lawmakers accountable, Republican leadership appears to be backtracking at the last minute on including legislation in the omnibus that would reform Congress's sexual harassment reporting process. For more than 20 years, this taxpayer-funded settlement process for sexual harassment and assault claims has protected abusers and undermined victims. It's time to pass legislation that finally puts an end to these inexcusable practices."

BACKGROUND: Rep. Rosen is a co-sponsor of the Congressional Accountability and Hush Fund Elimination Act, which would prevent taxpayer money from being used to settle sexual harassment and assault claims. This legislation would also protect victims and empower them to speak out. Rosen also co-sponsored legislation to mandate sexual harassment training for all Members of Congress and their staff.

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