Eleanor Holmes Norton: “I want to thank both sides for the bipartisan way in which this bill has proceeded. Today, the House is doing no more…”

“I want to thank both sides for the bipartisan way in which this bill has proceeded. Today, the House is doing no more than bringing itself in line with what we have long required of the public sector and Federal agencies. When I became chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the late 1970s, sexual harassment was not even recognized as a form of employment discrimination. We remedied that with sexual harassment guidelines, later ratified by the Supreme Court. In drawing the sexual harassment guidelines, it never occurred to us that Congress would adopt special procedures for themselves, preferential to Members and prejudicial to employees. The antidiscrimination statutes typically require some kind of conciliation before moving forward to avoid excessive litigation, but the current process creates multiple steps and time frames that exhaust complainants and deter resolution. It takes courage to file a sexual harassment complaint because most are unwitnessed and they are difficult to corroborate. The most important provisions of this bill, I believe, are the provisions for legal assistance to complainants, which Members have long had, and personal liability for sexual harassment lying with the Member, not the taxpayers. This bill marks the Congress holding itself accountable to the public. However, it is another focus on high-profile workplaces.…”