[House Hearing, 115 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
MARKUP ON H. RES. 630: IMPLEMENTING
MANDATORY ANTI-HARASSMENT, ANTI-DISCRIMINATION TRAINING GUIDELINES
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON HOUSE
ADMINISTRATION
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
DECEMBER 19, 2017
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available on the Internet:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/house/administration/index.html
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
32-363 WASHINGTON : 2018
Committee on House Administration
GREGG HARPER, Mississippi, Chairman
RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois, Vice ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania,
Chairman Ranking Member
BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia ZOE LOFGREN, California
MARK WALKER, North Carolina JAMIE RASKIN, Maryland
ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska
BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia
MARKUP ON H. RES. 630: IMPLEMENTING MANDATORY ANTI-HARASSMENT, ANTI-
DISCRIMINATION TRAINING GUIDELINES
----------
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2017
House of Representatives,
Committee on House Administration,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 12:28 p.m., in Room
1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Gregg Harper
[Chairman of the Committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Harper, Davis, Comstock, Walker,
Smith, Loudermilk, Brady, and Raskin.
Staff Present: Sean Moran, Staff Director; Kim Betz, Deputy
Staff Director/Policy and Oversight; Katie Patru, Deputy Staff
Director/Outreach and Communications; Cole Felder, Deputy
General Counsel; Dan Jarrell, Legislative Clerk; Erin
McCracken, Communications Director; Jamie Fleet, Minority Staff
Director; Khalil Abboud, Minority Deputy Staff Director; Eddie
Flaherty, Minority Chief Clerk; and Meredith Connor, Minority
Professional Staff.
The Chairman. I call to order the Committee on House
Administration for today's Committee markup. A quorum is
present, so we may proceed.
The meeting record will remain open for 5 legislative days
so Members may submit any materials they wish to be included
therein.
We are here today to formally approve a House resolution
issuing regulations requiring Members, officers, and employees,
including interns, fellows, and detailees, of the House of
Representatives to complete a training program on workforce
rights and responsibilities, including anti-discrimination and
anti-harassment training, during each congressional session.
This resolution will also serve to issue regulations
requiring each House employing office post a statement of
rights and protections provided to House employees under the
Congressional Accountability Act of 1995.
Let me first say thanks to Speaker Paul Ryan for his
attention and commitment to this issue. I would also like to
thank Representative Barbara Comstock, who is a member of this
committee, and Representative Speier for their work on this
resolution and this issue.
Finally, I want to thank the Ranking Member, Mr. Brady, for
his commitment to work on this issue in a bipartisan--in a
strongly bipartisan way.
I also would like to thank Bradley Byrne for his work in
serving as an ex officio member on this committee and also
Susan Brooks, Chairman of Ethics. All of us, working together,
are prepared to move forward with this.
And as I have said throughout this Committee's
comprehensive review, there is simply no place for sexual
harassment in our society and especially in Congress. One case
of sexual harassment is one case too many.
I believe, as Members of Congress, we must hold ourselves
to a higher standard, a standard that demonstrates that we are
worthy of the trust placed in us by our constituents and the
American people. No one should ever fear physical or
psychological harm in any workplace, and we must ensure that
the appropriate standards and rules apply to the congressional
workplace to promote a safe and productive environment.
There is really no place like the House of Representatives.
It is a special place, and we want it to be such for anyone who
works here. And the first step to ensuring a safe congressional
workplace is requiring mandatory training and education for all
Members, officers, employees, including interns, fellows, and
detailees, of the House of Representatives, as well as the
posting of rights and protections. H. Res. 630, these
regulations that we are approving today, will accomplish that
goal.
I would now like to recognize the Ranking Member, Mr.
Brady, for the purpose of providing an opening statement if he
wishes.
Mr. Brady. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to support the regulations
before the committee. As I have said before, training is an
important step, but it is just a first step. There is more to
do. I know our staff is working hard on bipartisan legislation
to change the Congressional Accountability Act.
Of course, none of these discussions would be possible if
it wasn't for the leadership of my colleague from California,
Jackie Speier, who has been talking about these changes for
years.
And this truly has been a bipartisan effort. I know we are
working with Representative Byrne from Alabama in developing
the legislation, and I thank him as well.
I hope we can consider the bipartisan proposal in early
2018 so that we can continue to make progress on changing the
resolution process and the culture of our congressional
workplace.
Mr. Chairman, thank you again, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Brady.
The gentleman yields back.
Any other Member wish to be recognized for the purposes of
an opening statement?
I now recognize the gentleman from Maryland.
Mr. Raskin. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much, and, Mr.
Brady, thank you, also, for your leadership and for giving me
this opportunity to speak as we adopt regulations to require
annual anti-sexual-harassment and -discrimination training in
Congress for both Members and staff.
As the representatives of the people, we have a unique
obligation to lead by establishing a culture of zero tolerance
for this egregious form of discrimination. Although the Speech
or Debate Clause provides Members with broad immunity for
legislative acts under the Constitution, it can never be
interpreted as a license to harass or discriminate against our
employees. We are not above the law, and it is important for
Members and employees alike to understand our individual rights
and responsibilities for the promotion of a healthy workplace
environment.
I am pleased that the regulations include the advice of
outside experts, who have highlighted the importance of in-
person, customized training, with specific workplace examples,
to better foster a culture that rejects sexual harassment and
discrimination.
Though I can understand that certain district offices may
have difficulty obtaining in-person training for their
employees in a timely fashion, necessitating a limited
exemption for employees whose duty station is not in D.C., it
is my hope that the vast majority of Members will adhere to the
spirit of these new requirements and seek out in-person,
interactive training for all employees, regardless of whether
they work for us in Washington or in our district offices.
This is an important start, but mandating annual sexual
harassment training is not sufficient. We must continue to
examine and reform the dispute resolution processes and ensure
that we build a system that promotes accountability, supports
victims, and does not exacerbate existing power disparities
among Members, supervisors, and staff.
I am eager to continue working with my colleagues on the
Committee, as well as Representative Speier, whose ME TOO
Congress Act has offered a perfect starting point for crafting
more important comprehensive reform legislation. I am confident
that we can continue to work together in a continuing
bipartisan way.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you for your leadership and hope that
we will indeed create model rules for the best workplaces in
America. Thank you.
The Chairman. The gentleman yields back.
The Chair will now recognize the gentlelady from Virginia,
Mrs. Comstock, for the purpose of an opening statement.
Mrs. Comstock. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I just wanted to thank you for the swiftness with which the
Committee has worked on these guidelines, and the staff and all
the work they have put into this. And having the climate survey
included here also I think is important, because it is
something we have talked about in a lot of the hearings that
will help us assess the best way to do our training going
forward.
So I think it is important that we understand that this
process will be adaptive and will be able to incorporate all
kinds of good ideas that we get going forward. But I appreciate
that we are putting this in place quickly now. And thank you.
The Chairman. The gentlelady yields back.
I now call up and lay before the committee the resolution
issuing regulations pursuant to H. Res. 630.
Without objection, the first reading of the resolution is
dispensed with, and the resolution is considered read and open
for amendment at any point.
[The resolution follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
The Chairman. Is there any debate?
Are there any Members who want to offer an amendment to the
resolution?
If not, I move the Committee to adopt the resolution. The
question is on the motion.
All those in favor, signify by saying aye.
Opposed, say nay.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and the
motion is agreed to.
Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon
the table.
For all the matters considered here today, I would ask
unanimous consent that the staff be authorized to make
technical and conforming changes if necessary.
Without objection, so ordered.
Without objection, the markup is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:36 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
[all]