3.0.0 575 2022-11-01T16:47:42Z 2022-11-01T16:47:42Z Senate S 2019-02-27 116 sshr00 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2019-02-27T15:35:09Z EMPOWER Act 116 1521 HR 2019-04-08 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. Related bill CRS 2019-02-27 sshr00 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. IntroReferral 2019-02-27 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress H001075 Sen. Harris, Kamala D. [D-CA] Kamala Harris D CA D. N M001153 Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK] Lisa Murkowski R AK 2019-02-27 True Labor and Employment Administrative law and regulatory procedures Administrative remedies Assault and harassment offenses Civil actions and liability Congressional officers and employees Contracts and agency Corporate finance and management Crime victims Employment and training programs Employment discrimination and employee rights Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management Government information and archives Government liability Government studies and investigations Labor-management relations Library of Congress Marketing and advertising Merit Systems Protection Board Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Sex offenses Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination State and local government operations Labor and Employment 00 2019-02-27 Introduced in Senate 2020-08-24T14:28:28Z Ending the Monopoly of Power Over Workplace harassment through Education and Reporting Act-Part I or the EMPOWER Act-Part I

This bill prohibits the use of nondisparagement and nondisclosure clauses that cover workplace harassment in employment contracts and directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to take certain actions related to workplace harassment.

Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of nondisparagement and nondisclosure clauses in employment contracts if such clauses cover workplace harassment, including sexual harassment or retaliation for reporting harassment. It also prohibits the enforcement or attempted enforcement of such clauses.

Notwithstanding signing any nondisparagement or nondisclosure clause, an employee or applicant retains any right that person would otherwise have had to report a concern about workplace harassment to the EEOC and other specified agencies and any right that person would otherwise have had to bring an action in a court of the United States.

Additionally, the bill prohibits state immunity under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution from an action in a federal court for a violation related to workplace harassment.

The bill also directs the EEOC to (1) establish a confidential tip line that supplements its existing process for submitting a charge of discrimination; and (2) disseminate workplace training programs and information regarding workplace harassment, including sexual harassment.

]]> EMPOWER Act—Part 1 Display Title EMPOWER Act—Part 1 Short Title(s) as Introduced EMPOWER Act—Part 1 Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced Ending the Monopoly of Power Over Workplace harassment through Education and Reporting Act—Part 1 Introduced in Senate IS Official Title as Introduced A bill to deter, prevent, reduce, and respond to harassment in the workplace, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, and harassment based on protected categories. Introduced in Senate IS Introduced in Senate 2019-02-27T05:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116s575is/xml/BILLS-116s575is.xml 2019-02-27 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.