All 22 women in the Senate are demanding changes to workplace misconduct rules on Capitol Hill.
“Survivors who have bravely come forward to share their stories have brought to light just how widespread harassment and discrimination continue to be throughout Capitol Hill,” the senators wrote Wednesday in a letter, obtained by Politico, to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
{mosads}”No longer can we allow the perpetrators of these crimes to hide behind a 23-year-old law,” the bipartisan group of women said, referring to the 1995 statute that set up the current method of handling workplace misconduct complaints on Capitol Hill.
The legislation being pushed by the female lawmakers would update the 1995 policy and streamline the process of reporting sexual harassment, while giving staffers additional resources for those filing reports.
The House has already passed changes to its rules, which establish an Office of Employee Advocacy to represent harassment victims.
However, the Senate has moved more slowly on the issue, which female lawmakers say has a created “an inequity.”
“Senate staff who face similar harassment or discrimination must pay personally for legal representation or represent themselves through complicated legal proceedings,” while House staffers receive “access to free legal representation,” the female senators wrote.
The effort was led by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
McConnell’s spokesman David Popp told CNN that a bipartisan group in the chamber was working on legislation on the matter, but he did not say when it would be ready.
“I don’t yet have a prediction on when that will be completed,” Popp told the network.