Staffers are pushing congressional leaders to overhaul sexual misconduct allegation protocol amid multiple claims against current lawmakers and hopeful candidates.
In a Tuesday letter to lawmakers from the Congressional Progressive Staff Association, the 1,500-person group pointed to recent revelations of sexual misconduct as evidence for addressing how reporting is handled on Capitol Hill.
The Office of Congressional Conduct, which reviews allegations of misconduct against House lawmakers and staff, is “subject to biennial House rules packages, and congressional leaders have previously attempted to restrict its independence,” according to the letter.
The letter recommended creating a Senate version of the Office of Employee Advocacy, expanding legal support for staffers, including extending time to file workplace claims, and simply building “awareness of existing resources.”
In establishing an Office of Employee Advocacy, which provides confidential legal counsel and representation to House employees, for the upper chamber, the group suggested it could also continue representing staffers after filing a lawsuit, which is currently not permitted.
CPSA spokesperson Michael Suchecki said almost every staffer the group consulted was not aware of most of the existing resources.
“When it comes time to navigate this spiderweb, after the unthinkable, it’s not clear where to begin or what resources there even are,” he said in a statement.
The recent high-profile misconduct allegations, which involved the resignations of Reps. Eric Swalwell, California Democrat, and Tony Gonzales, Texas Republican, “exposed real gaps in the accountability process for staff,” the letter reads.
GOP Reps. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina and Rep. Cory Mills of Florida are also the subjects of recent investigations led by the House Ethics Committee.
The accusations prompted calls for congressional leaders to reexamine the culture in the halls of the Capitol.
After Mr. Swalwell and Mr. Gonzales resigned from Congress this year, House leadership announced a bipartisan effort spearheaded by the Democratic Women’s Caucus and the Republican Women’s Caucus in response to ethics investigations into members of Congress. The groups are coordinating with the House Administration Committee to draft formal policy proposals.
Reps. Teresa Leger Fernandez, New Mexico Democrat, and Kat Cammack, Florida Republican, the caucuses’ chairs, said their goal is to “identify reforms and solutions to make Congress a safer work environment for women and all survivors.”
The lower chamber also unanimously passed a resolution led by Rep. Thomas Massie, Kentucky Republican, directing the Ethics Committee to preserve and publicly release records related to sexual harassment settlements.
The committee, however, said that it does not have the specific settlement data the resolution sought because it has not been notified of any taxpayer-funded settlements since 2018 reforms.
Sexual misconduct reporting protocols were last reevaluated and revamped almost a decade ago, during 2017’s #MeToo movement.
