Jackie Speier: “I thank the ranking member for his generosity and for his great leadership. Mr. Speaker, we are truly here on a historic…”

“I thank the ranking member for his generosity and for his great leadership. Mr. Speaker, we are truly here on a historic occasion. It is a rare and crucial moment of bipartisanship. This is the way you can do it-- men and women, Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals-- coming together to make this place better. When I first started this work back in 2014, I dreamed, but I did not dare to hope, that we would end up here today. Today, this bipartisan group of legislators is taking a historic step that has plagued this institution for generations. For years, Members of Congress have gotten away with truly egregious behavior by mistreating their staff. A story that will be etched in my memory forever is a young woman who sat in my office earlier this year and told me her story and who said, as she cried, the process was almost worse than the harassment. No more, ladies and gentlemen, no more will that be the case. Thanks to the Me Too movement, the American public has made it clear that they have had enough. They expect Congress to lead; and, for once, we are. Today, I am proud to support the CAA Reform Act. Based on the ME TOO Congress Act, which I introduced last fall, this bill empowers survivors. They will no longer be subject to mandatory mediation. They will be represented by counsel. They will no longer have cooling off periods and periods where they have to be counseled legally, and they have the right to sue.…”