On the recordMay 4, 1994
I am pleased to join Senator Lieberman in introducing the Congressional Accountability Act. The time is long overdue for Congress to follow the laws it prescribes for everyone else. Our bill will correct the longstanding practice of Congress exempting itself from labor and employment laws, as well as good Government laws, such as the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts. The American people are frustrated with Congress. They don't respect the institution. The citizenry finds Congress to be out of touch with the real world. Well, one part of the real world is the host of laws Congress has enacted to protect workers. Those laws include--wage and hour laws, collective bargaining laws, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws, as well as laws protecting a safe workplace. But for too long, Congress has said--``OK for you America, but not for Capitol Hill.'' This bill says, ``no more.'' It's time for Congress to get serious, to hear the American people and to act. Our bill applies 10 laws to all of Congress and the instrumentalities, such as the Library of Congress and the General Accounting Office. It establishes an Office of Congressional Compliance to administer and enforce these laws. Any employee who has a complaint under one of these laws--from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to the Fair Labor Standards Act--may bring it to the Office. The first efforts to resolve the complaint will be less formal--counseling and mediation.…
Source
govinfo.gov
