[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 183 (Thursday, November 9, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7147-S7148]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



               Senate Anti-Harassment Training Resolution

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I want to turn to two topics today.
  First, the good news is that all of the members of the Senate Rules 
Committee have come together on a mandatory sexual harassment training 
resolution that has been submitted with broad support, including from 
the two leaders and every member of the Rules Committee. I thank 
Senator Grassley for his leadership, Senator Shelby for his leadership, 
as well as Senators Capito and Cortez Masto, who were a big help.
  We are all too aware that sexual harassment continues in our 
workplaces. A recent study found that one in four women has been 
sexually harassed in the workplace and that three-quarters of 
individuals who have experienced sexual harassment at work have not 
reported the incidences. Civil service is actually among the top five 
industries with the highest sexual harassment incidences.
  We know that it will not stop on its own, and we will not be 
complacent bystanders who expect workplace cultures to change on their 
own. That is why today, with a bipartisan group of 19 of our 
colleagues, we took a major step forward with this resolution. Once it 
is adopted by the full Senate, which we hope will be shortly, this 
resolution will simply require that all Senators and staff receive 
sexual harassment training, as well as on other forms of harassment, at 
least once every 2 years--in addition to that, 60 days after it passes.
  What happens if Senators do not receive this training? The American 
people will know.
  In one part of this bill--and I appreciate the broad support from 
Senator McConnell, who has long been someone who has taken leadership 
in this area for many years, and from Senator Schumer, who has also 
taken leadership in this area--all offices will have to certify to the 
Secretary of the Senate that they and their employees here in 
Washington, as well as those working in our home States, have, in fact, 
taken the training and complied with the resolution. These 
certifications will be posted online for the public to view.

  I thank Senator Grassley, again, as well as Senator Shelby. Senator 
Grassley, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, was the author of 
the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. I want to thank as well 
Senators Cortez Masto and Capito and all the members of the Rules 
Committee for coming together, on both sides of the aisle, on this 
commonsense resolution.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Senate Anti-Harassment Training 
Resolution of 2017. There is more work to be done with regard to the 
reporting process, and that is something we are going to be working on 
in the next few weeks through the Rules Committee, but I do want to 
thank them.

[[Page S7148]]

  Senator Gillibrand has also been working in this area, and I want to 
thank her. Overall, it is a good effort in which everyone came together 
and agreed on a plan for mandatory training.