Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman for yielding. Prior to coming to Congress, I worked for 30 years as a labor and employment attorney in Alabama. I advised clients on how to prevent sexual harassment and how to navigate the process if a harassment claim was made. Quite frankly, I was shocked to see how complicated the congressional process for handling sexual harassment and other employment law claims was. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is a shining example of how Congress should work. Chairman Harper and Ranking Member Brady engaged a bipartisan group of Members, including Representative Jackie Speier and me, interested in solving this problem. After months of thoughtful negotiation, we come to the floor today with a product that this House and the American people can be proud of. Under this legislation, we will bring the congressional workplace into the 21st century and ensure that Congress plays by the same rules as the private sector. There are far too many important reforms to mention all of them, but I want to highlight a few that I think are especially transformative. First, the bill creates a fair and simpler process for employees to file an employment law claim and for the claim to be resolved. The bill creates an Office of Employee Advocacy to ensure staff has access to legal counsel just as Member offices are provided. The process is also simplified to make the claims process smoother, faster, and fairer.…”