Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I thank the Representative from Pennsylvania for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Today, we are here to consider House Resolution 1464, providing for the consideration of the Speak Out Act, among other provisions. Let me be clear: House Republicans agree that victims of sexual harassment and assault deserve justice. Unfortunately, due to the fact that this bill is poorly drafted and questionable findings from the Senate bill remain that were specifically stripped out of the House version during Judiciary markup, there are still several legitimate concerns surrounding the unintended consequences of H.R. 8227, the Speak Out Act. We must maintain respect for the victims and their privacy. Making settlements less valuable to defendants by making confidentiality provisions unenforceable could leave victims worse off. This bill may force victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment to take their claims to court in a public process, but some victims may be reluctant to speak out in any form if they know that their stories will be public. Furthermore, removing the benefit of confidentiality may remove the incentives that defendants have to settle and give them more reason to fight harder in court, which may not be in the plaintiff's best interest.…”