[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 194 (Wednesday, November 29, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9491-H9498]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   REQUIRING COMPLETION OF TRAINING PROGRAM IN WORKPLACE RIGHTS AND 
                            RESPONSIBILITIES

  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 630) requiring each Member, officer, and employee 
of the House of Representatives to complete a program of training in 
workplace rights and responsibilities each session of each Congress, 
and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 630

       Resolved,

     SECTION 1. MANDATORY COMPLETION OF PROGRAM OF TRAINING IN 
                   WORKPLACE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

       (a) Requiring Training for All Members, Officers, and 
     Employees.--
       (1) Requirement.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this resolution, the Committee on House 
     Administration shall issue regulations to provide that, 
     during each session of each Congress, each Member (including 
     each Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress), 
     officer, and employee of the House of Representatives shall 
     complete a program of training in the workplace rights and 
     responsibilities applicable to offices and employees of the 
     House under part A of title II of the Congressional 
     Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.), including 
     anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training.
       (2) Inclusion of interns, fellows, and detailees.--For 
     purposes of this resolution, an individual serving in an 
     office of the House of Representatives as an intern 
     (including an unpaid intern), a participant in a fellowship 
     program, or a detailee from another office of the Federal 
     Government shall be considered an employee of the House.
       (b) Deadline.--
       (1) In general.--Under the regulations issued by the 
     Committee on House Administration under subsection (a), an 
     individual shall complete the program of training required 
     under subsection (a) and file a certificate of completion of 
     such training not later than--
       (A) in the case of an individual who is serving as a 
     Member, officer, or employee of the House as of the first day 
     of a session of Congress, not later than 90 days after the 
     session begins; or
       (B) in the case of any other individual, not later than 90 
     days after the individual first becomes a Member, officer, or 
     employee of the House during the session.
       (2) Special rule for one hundred fifteenth congress.--In 
     the case of the One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, an individual 
     shall complete the program required under subsection (a) not 
     later than 180 days after the second session of the Congress 
     begins.
       (c) Additional Mechanisms.--The Committee on House 
     Administration shall consider additional mechanisms to ensure 
     compliance with the training requirement under subsection 
     (a).

     SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS PROVIDED TO HOUSE 
                   EMPLOYEES UNDER CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY 
                   ACT OF 1995.

       The Committee on House Administration shall issue 
     regulations to provide that each employing office of the 
     House of Representatives shall post in a prominent location 
     in the office (including, in the case of the office of a 
     Member of the House or a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to 
     the Congress, a prominent location in each office in the 
     Member's congressional district) a statement of the rights 
     and protections provided to employees of the House of 
     Representatives under the Congressional Accountability Act of 
     1995, including the procedures available to employees of the 
     House under such Act for responding to and adjudicating 
     allegations of violations of such rights and protections.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Mississippi (Mr. Harper) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Brady) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Mississippi.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 
630.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Mississippi?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this House resolution. 
The resolution is one part of the Committee on House Administration's 
comprehensive review of the laws, procedures, and resources concerning 
workplace harassment in the House. A harassment-free policy and 
workplace is vital in creating that culture that will require everyone 
on Capitol Hill to work together effectively.
  First and foremost, Mr. Speaker, there is no place for sexual 
harassment in our society, and especially in Congress--period. I 
believe as Members of Congress, we must hold ourselves to a higher 
standard, a standard that demonstrates we are worthy of the trust

[[Page H9492]]

placed in us by our constituents and the American public.
  There have been a number of accounts by current and former colleagues 
and staff that suggest not every office is achieving this goal. That is 
simply unacceptable.
  This resolution will mandate that each Member, officer, employee, 
intern, and fellow of the House of Representatives is fully aware of 
the laws that apply to them and their right to a harassment-free 
workplace under the Congressional Accountability Act.
  The Committee on House Administration recently held a hearing as its 
first step in its review. We heard from Members, House employment 
counsel, and the Office of Compliance. There was a broad consensus that 
mandatory training is a necessary step for the House to prevent and 
eliminate harassment in the workplace.
  It is important to note, Mr. Speaker, that Republicans and Democrats 
have joined together to take this step, and I want to specifically 
thank Representative Comstock and Representative Speier for their 
leadership on this issue.
  The resolution requires training and education to ensure that each 
Member, officer, employee, intern--paid or unpaid--and fellow knows 
their obligations and rights. Further, the resolution requires that 
each congressional office post in a prominent place a notice describing 
the rights and protections provided to House employees under the 
Congressional Accountability Act. Both of these measures are regular 
order in the private workplace, and the House should do nothing less.
  The American people have entrusted each of their Representatives with 
an enormous responsibility. Each Member is sent here to help make our 
country better. The first place we should start is in our own Chamber. 
Training on workplace rights and responsibilities will ensure that 
those who are victims of harassment can obtain justice and work in that 
harassment-free environment.
  In Ronald Reagan's farewell address, he spoke of his vision of 
America as the shining city on the Hill, one built on rocks stronger 
than oceans, with everyone living in harmony and peace. We are not 
perfect and we never will be, but I believe in that vision.
  This resolution can be one important step to protect the members of 
our Capitol Hill community and to demand that we have respect for each 
and every person here in this workplace.
  The resolution sets an important requirement that each Member, 
officer, and employee, including interns and fellows, must undergo this 
mandatory training or education every year.

                              {time}  1430

  For the current Congress, everyone must complete this training within 
180 days of the start of the second session of January 3. Following 
that, individuals will have to complete the training within 90 days of 
the start of each session.
  It is often said that the urgent gets in the way of the important on 
Capitol Hill. Not today. This is an important issue, and today we will 
vote to ensure that the entire House community receives the needed 
training on how to ensure a harassment-free workplace.
  This harassment-free environment should be afforded to every single 
member of our community from that unpaid intern to the Speaker of the 
House. Awareness, education, and training is a first step in the 
prevention and elimination of sexual harassment, which has no place on 
Capitol Hill. I look forward to working with my colleagues to achieve 
this goal.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution.
  We would not be here today if it were not for the courage of my 
friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier). All 
of us should be grateful for her leadership on this issue.
  This resolution is the start, but it is just a start. We have to 
reform the Congressional Accountability Act, we have to modernize to 
fully fund the Office of Compliance, and there is much more to do.
  I appreciate the effort of my chairman, Mr. Harper, and the 
seriousness with which he has taken this issue and his commitment to 
bipartisan progress. The status quo cannot and will not be tolerated. 
Passing this resolution begins with the first step here.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Pelosi), who is our Democratic leader.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Brady) for his leadership, and I thank Chairman Harper for his as well. 
I thank them for bringing this legislation to the floor.
  Here it is, November 29, 2017, an historic day in the history of the 
Congress, a watershed moment in our Congress' history because it is a 
day in which we will take the opportunity to make change. This body is 
taking a constructive first step to protect all Members of our 
legislative community from harassment and discrimination in the 
workplace. This vote is vital to upholding the integrity of the U.S. 
Congress.
  We are grateful for the tremendous leadership of Congresswoman Jackie 
Speier. I have observed her leadership on this subject for a very long 
time. She has a lifetime commitment to exposing and ending the scourge 
of sexual harassment. I thank her for that leadership.
  I want to also acknowledge my own daughter, Christine Pelosi, who is 
the chair of the Women's Caucus of the California Democratic Party. She 
is a former prosecutor in San Francisco and prosecuted these cases, and 
she has been a strong, strong advocate for protecting people in the 
workplace and has had some level of success with that.
  So here we are at this watershed moment in the nationwide fight 
against sexual harassment and discrimination. Brave women in every 
corner of the country and in every industry are making their voices 
heard. As Members of Congress, we have a moral duty to show real, 
effective leadership to foster a climate of respect and dignity in the 
workplace, with absolutely zero tolerance for harassment, 
discrimination, or abuse. Anything less is unacceptable.
  Requiring the Members and the staff to take training, while 
valuable--and we must have it--must be only a first step. We must make 
sure that that training is very effective as well. But the next step 
for Congress to take is to pass the ME TOO Congress Act, introduced by 
Congresswoman Speier, to create greater transparency and accountability 
in the broken reporting and settlements system.
  Taxpayer money should not have been spent to build a culture of 
silence and complicity around workplace harassment. We must make a 
judgment about how that was used. This bill, the ME TOO Congress Act, 
will reform the shameful secret settlements policy that has persisted. 
It will ensure that survivors who wish to share their stories publicly 
can come forward, and they can come forward to the Ethics Committee.
  We want to create a culture that says to everyone who comes to work 
here: This will be hospitable for you. We want it to be a culture that 
is a model to the Nation.
  In addition to that, Mr. Speaker, this moment is a moment of truth 
for Congress. It is disappointing and disturbing that some in the 
Capitol have not served with the dignity and respect required of this 
office. It is very hard to accept that people we admire in public life 
and here in Congress have crossed the line and broken the public trust 
and violated the dignity and respect of those who have worked for or 
with them.
  But zero tolerance means consequences for everyone. No matter your 
contribution to our country, you do not get a pass to harass or 
discriminate. No matter how great the legacy, it is not a license to 
harass or abuse.
  To the victims of harassment and abuse: We hear you, and we believe 
you. We are here for you.
  Where there is harassment, women and men must have support to come 
forward. We have a duty, again, to address their concerns and provide 
them needed resources.
  We don't want to lose the leadership or service of any patriot who 
comes to work in or around Congress. We cannot let harassment or 
discrimination destroy their safety or drive them out of public office. 
We cannot tell young

[[Page H9493]]

women or men who aspire to serve in this historic body that they must 
put up with harassment and abuse.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to just close by again thanking Congresswoman 
Jackie Speier for her leadership and thanking Chairman Harper, Mr. 
Brady, and all who are concerned.
  It is utterly unconscionable that courageous survivors who seek to 
end the nightmare of sexual harassment are also dealt the injustice of 
having their voices silenced. During this watershed moment, we must 
seize the moment and take real, lasting action. The eyes of the country 
are on us. We cannot fail them or any prospective victims.

  I thank all of those who have brought this to the floor: 
Congresswoman Comstock, Mr. Harper, Mr. Brady, and Congresswoman 
Speier.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge a strong, unanimous vote on this resolution.
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), who is the vice chairman of the Committee 
on House Administration.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of 
this resolution requiring all Members and staff to complete 
antiharassment and antidiscrimination training during each session of 
Congress.
  I would like to thank Chairman Harper. I would like to thank Speaker 
Ryan for announcing this policy change in the House. I would like to 
thank my friend and colleague on the House Administration Committee, 
Barbara Comstock, for introducing this important bill.
  No one should have to worry about sexual harassment when they come to 
work. As a former staffer and someone with a female-led office, I 
believe this resolution is an important first step in addressing this 
problem as we work to increase professionalism in the House and 
establish a workplace that is grounded in respect.
  In Congress, we have got to lead by example.
  As a member of the House Administration Committee, we worked hard to 
pass reforms last Congress to make House office spending more 
transparent and accountable than any other area of the Federal 
Government, and I am confident in this committee's ability to address, 
in a bipartisan way, this important issue as well.
  I look forward to the continued hearings the committee will have on 
this issue as we work to institute policies that protect staffers 
against sexual harassment and ensure female staffers are provided 
leadership opportunities.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle 
to support this resolution.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin).
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member of the House 
Administration Committee for yielding and for his leadership. I also 
want to salute Ms. Speier and Chairman Harper for their work, too.
  I rise in strong support of H. Res. 630, which requires all Members, 
staffers, and interns to undergo annual antiharassment and 
antidiscrimination training to impress upon all of us our individual 
responsibilities and rights as they relate to sexual harassment.
  It would also require the posting of a statement in all of our Hill 
offices, and also in our district offices, setting forth what the 
rights and protections are of our employees so they know. This is how 
we got rid of minimum wage violations and violations of overtime 
protections in America, and this is how we will eliminate sexual 
harassment here on Capitol Hill.
  From coast to coast, America is in an uproar over sexual harassment 
and sexual assault in the workplace. From Capitol Hill to the White 
House, from the offices of FOX News in New York to the studios of 
Hollywood, from Washington to Alabama, high officials and media 
luminaries are learning that sexual harassment really is against the 
law and that it is a terrible offense against people lower down the 
hierarchy in the workplace who are just trying to do their jobs, make a 
living, support their families, and develop their careers. This is 
America, and they have a right to equal opportunity without being 
harassed, grabbed, imposed upon, and threatened in the workplace.
  As the people's Representatives, we have an obligation to lead not 
just by legislation, but by example. We must have comprehensive 
training for everyone who has the honor of coming to work here in the 
House of Representatives.
  The good news is that a paradigm shift is taking place in America. 
Women everywhere are bravely speaking out against conduct that prior 
generations were forced to accept as business as usual. It will no 
longer be safe--and it should no longer be safe--for men to sexually 
harass women in the workplace.
  We have experienced dramatic cultural shifts like this before in 
America and in Congress. For many decades, Members of Congress could 
convert money from their campaign funds to personal use. Then we got 
rid of it, and then it became unthinkable.
  Similarly, there was a time when lobbyists could wine and dine 
legislators. We got rid of it and we moved beyond it. I am glad we are 
moving into an era of the harassment-free workplace on Capitol Hill.
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Indiana (Mrs. Brooks), who is the distinguished chair of the Committee 
on Ethics.
  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H. Res. 630, introduced by my colleague Barbara Comstock, which 
mandates antiharassment and antidiscrimination education for all 
Members of Congress and their staff during each session of Congress.
  I commend my colleagues, Representative Comstock and Representative 
Speier, who have worked on this bipartisan resolution together. Both 
know this issue too well from the Member and the staff level. Both have 
seen firsthand how our current process has failed to protect many who 
devote their lives to working on behalf of the American people in the 
House of Representatives.
  The resolution they have introduced is an important and appropriate 
first step to educating Members and staff on inappropriate workplace 
actions and how to report such conduct. It is absolutely unacceptable 
to be subjected to harassment or discrimination of any kind wherever 
you are or wherever you work.
  Importantly, this resolution requires all who work for the House of 
Representatives, from Members of Congress to staff, detailees, fellows, 
and interns, whether paid or unpaid, to be educated on their rights 
in the workplace and where they can safely and confidentially go to 
report instances of misconduct.

  Mr. Speaker, as chair of the House Ethics Committee, I can assure you 
the committee takes allegations of discrimination and harassment very 
seriously. Under House rule X, the House Ethics Committee is authorized 
to enforce standards of conduct for Members, officers, and employees. 
The committee is authorized to investigate alleged violations of any 
law, rule, or regulation and to make recommendations to the House for 
further action.
  The committee has sole jurisdiction over the interpretation of our 
Code of Official Conduct. In order for the Ethics Committee to fulfill 
its obligation to investigate and potentially discipline Members and 
staff, the committee must be given information on potential bad actors.
  The Congressional Accountability Act was enacted over 20 years ago, 
in 1995, and it needs to be reevaluated. It established the Office of 
Compliance as the agency responsible to administer and enforce the 
civil rights, labor, and workplace safety and health laws of the CAA.
  There may be elements of the CAA that are working well today, but 
silencing victims and potentially spending taxpayer dollars to settle 
claims needs to be reevaluated. It is time for Congress to take action 
to reform a process that is not working as well as it should and to 
ensure that we have legislation that protects victims while also 
ensuring due process for the accused.
  While there is much more work to be done, I applaud the action my 
colleagues have taken by introducing this important education 
resolution. I am committed to continuing to work with the House 
Administration Committee, as well as my colleagues in the House, to 
improve the workplace called the

[[Page H9494]]

people's House and the conduct of those who work in it.
  In supporting this resolution today, I believe we are one step closer 
to expressing to the Nation that sexual harassment is wrong and must be 
prevented and stopped. Mr. Speaker, I urge a unanimous vote by my 
colleagues in the House.

                              {time}  1445

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier). Again, I thank her for her 
courage.
  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank our ranking member, Mr. Brady, for 
his steadfast support on this issue; the chairman, Mr. Harper, who has 
moved swiftly to address this issue; and also my colleague, 
Congresswoman Comstock, for bringing this resolution to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I have been working on this issue since 2014. I am so 
delighted that we are here today taking up this measure. As we take 
this up, I hope that we remember that training must be more than an 
online module. It must be in person, interactive, specific to 
congressional workplace issues, and taken seriously.
  Today's bill is an important step in the right direction, but let's 
not fool ourselves. It is a baby step. Let us not, to paraphrase 
Shakespeare, tread the primrose path while leaving survivors to 
struggle the steep and thorny way to justice.
  We are in the midst of a cultural revolution. We are elected 
Representatives of the American people, and we must not hesitate to do 
what is needed to fix this broken system.
  Seventy percent of those who are sexually harassed never report it. 
They never report it. One woman came up to me as I was walking the 
Halls of Congress to thank me. She said that she was on this very floor 
working late in the evening on a particular bill. A Member came up 
behind her, grinding up against her, and then stuck his tongue in her 
ear. That happened on this floor, with Members probably standing 
around. So we do have a problem, and we must address it.
  Unfortunately, due to the system Congress has created to protect 
itself from being exposed, there has been no accountability. It is now 
clear that this misguided attempt to protect the institution is instead 
harming it and leaving victims in its wake.
  We work in a very special place, a trusted place, but let me be very 
clear: we are not special. The outcry for accountability that we are 
hearing from all corners of the country must be heeded. We are seeing 
titans of entertainment, news, and every other business be swiftly 
terminated. Yet, here in Congress, we hide behind due process niceties 
when, in reality, we have constructed a system that shields us from 
true accountability.
  Did Harvey Weinstein or Matt Lauer receive months of due process 
before being terminated?
  When do we simply believe the victims and provide them a fair and 
safe process to report and get justice? Then we have got to decide: Is 
one occurrence worthy of expulsion? Two? Three?
  These are thorny issues. We don't like to come down on our friends 
and colleagues. I get that. But don't we have a moral responsibility to 
victims, to society at large?
  When the CEO of a major company is fired because of sexual 
harassment, the board of directors doesn't say: Let's wait until the 
shareholders can meet and decide.
  Well, colleagues, our board of directors are the American people, and 
they are loud and clear. They do not want us to hide behind opaque 
decisions by the House Administration or Ethics Committees. They do not 
want to pay for our inability to keep our hands to ourselves. They want 
accountability and transparency, and they want it now.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill, but to also join me in 
taking Congress from a cruel and disgusting joke to a leader in 
workplace fairness. I know we can do better than this. The American 
people know we can do better than this. We must rise to the challenge.
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Maine (Mr. Poliquin), a distinguished member of the Committee on 
Financial Services.
  Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Harper for the opportunity to 
speak on this very important issue.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Jackie Speier, a Democrat from 
California, and Barbara Comstock, a Republican from Virginia, for 
providing leadership on this issue. I am delighted to join them.
  Mr. Speaker, there can be absolutely zero tolerance for sexual 
harassment, bullying, and intimidation in the workplace. I don't care 
if you are a professional athlete, in the media business, in the 
entertainment business, or certainly in the people's House here in 
Congress, there can be zero tolerance for this sort of behavior.
  It is about time, Mr. Speaker, that the legislative branch join the 
executive branch in making sure there is mandatory training to try to 
prevent this from happening and end it right now. I salute 
Congresswoman Speier and Congresswoman Comstock for their leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, my only child is a millennial. The last thing I want to 
worry about is my son going to work and being intimidated or harassed 
such that he can't do his work.
  My mother, who is now 89, had a terrific career in the healthcare 
business. She was a nurse. She could not have had a career in nursing 
had she showed up at hospitals and nursing homes being scared about a 
work environment.
  Finding and preventing sexual harassment, intimidation, and bullying 
wherever it is is a no-brainer for Members of Congress. I am asking, 
Mr. Speaker, everybody in this Chamber, whether Republican or 
Democrat--and, yes, on the other side of the dome in the Senate, also--
to please, let's pass this resolution, starting in the House. It is a 
first step to change the internal rules to eliminate this anywhere on 
Capitol Hill.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley).
  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. I am grateful to 
all the women who have come forward with their own story of sexual 
harassment and to my own colleagues in Congress who have shared their 
own very, very personal stories. Thanks to their courage and strength, 
it has become clear how pervasive this problem truly is across our 
Nation. That must stop. Today starts the beginning of much-needed 
change.

  Sexual harassment and assault comes in many forms, but none of it has 
a place here in Congress or in any other work environment, period. 
Stop. That is especially true here in the Halls of Congress. We must 
not set the gold standard. We must set the platinum standard. We must 
be that beacon on the hill. That is why we must pass this resolution.
  This is an important first step in our national conversation to 
change our culture of harassment, but this is not and cannot be the 
last stop. We must reform the entire reporting system here in Congress. 
We must make sure victims are heard and are cared for. We must shine 
light on the settlement process.
  Then we must work to ensure that, from Congress to Hollywood, to 
media and to every kitchen table across our great Nation, men and women 
know that when they go to work, they will be treated with respect, 
especially here in the Halls of Congress.
  It will take time and commitment to make that meaningful change, and 
I stand ready to help fulfill that commitment with this important, yet 
vital, first step.
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Virginia (Mrs. Comstock), who is also a distinguished member of the 
Committee on House Administration.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership 
on this important issue.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 630, my legislation to 
begin to deal with the sexual harassment issue.
  Thirty years ago, in 1988, a 34-year-old legislative aide named 
Dorena Bertussi faced a very lonely fight when she decided to stand up 
to a powerful Congressman, Jim Bates from California, who repeatedly 
sexually harassed her and others in his office with questions, 
comments, and actions such as asking her what type of sex she

[[Page H9495]]

liked and saying different things that he would imagine. He talked 
about her breasts. He humped her leg in front of the staff and said 
vulgar things that are really too unpleasant to talk about in this 
body.
  Dorena didn't get a lot of press attention or some of the support 
that victims get today. She got little support from this body. She went 
on her journey alone. She received nasty phone calls and even threats. 
She was warned they would release damaging information about her.
  Fortunately, she prevailed. Men and women in the workplace should 
know her name and know she was the first woman to win a sexual 
harassment case against a Member of Congress.
  Let's remember, as we see all these headlines about men leaving their 
jobs and things going on, behind all of them are women who are victims 
like Dorena. There is a lot of pain in dealing with such a situation. 
In speaking with her recently, I could hear that pain even 30 years 
later.
  As a mom, former intern here in this body, former congressional 
staffer and counsel, and a Justice Department employee, I do believe 
this is a watershed moment.
  I have a female chief of staff. I have a female district director. 
But we also need to have men and women involved in this process. I am 
so happy with the men who are coming forward, because this is a 
workplace issue, a human rights issue, and an issue that addresses all 
of us and our daughters and sons in the workplace.
  When I was working in Congress in the nineties for Congressman Wolf, 
just a few years after Dorena, there were Members like ``Good Time'' 
Charlie Wilson, who openly bragged about hiring staff based on their 
looks and breast size, famously saying: You can teach them to type, but 
you can't teach them to grow breasts. He used a more vulgar term.
  At the same time, Senator Bob Packwood--and this is a bipartisan 
problem--assaulted over a dozen women. He kept a diary of his 
debauchery that had been ignored for years.
  It wasn't acceptable then, and it certainly shouldn't be acceptable 
now. Yet we have stories of Members still in this body today that my 
colleague, Ms. Speier, and other victims are bringing forward. I told 
one such story, and I am pleased that Members have responded to say 
there is no place for that type of sexual action in this body.
  This legislation promotes the essential principles of accountability 
and personal responsibility. It is bipartisan legislation because bad 
behavior transcends party labels. Men and women--all of us--are coming 
together. You are seeing this beyond this body. Obviously, it was in 
the corporate world just today.
  This resolution sends the message, as Peggy Noonan wrote in The Wall 
Street Journal: ``The Sexual-Harassment Racket Is Over.'' I include in 
the Record her op-ed from this past week.

             [From the Wall Street Journal, Nov. 23, 2017]

                  The Sexual-Harassment Racket Is Over

                           (By Peggy Noonan)

       This Thanksgiving I find myself thankful for something that 
     is roiling our country. I am glad at what has happened with 
     the recent, much-discussed and continuing sexual-harassment 
     revelations and responses. To repeat the obvious, it is a 
     watershed event, which is something you can lose sight of 
     when you're in the middle of it. To repeat the obvious again, 
     journalists broke the back of the scandal when they broke the 
     code on how to report it. For a quarter century we had been 
     stuck in the He Said/She Said. Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas 
     gave their testimonies, each offered witnesses, and the fair 
     minded did their best with the evidence at hand while sorting 
     through all the swirling political agendas. In the end I 
     believed Mr. Thomas. But nobody knows, or rather only two 
     people do.
       What happened during the past two years, and very much in 
     the past few months, is that reporters and news organizations 
     committed serious resources to unearthing numbers and 
     patterns. Deep reporting found not one or two victims of an 
     abuser but, in one case, that of Bill Cosby, at least 35. So 
     that was the numbers. The testimony of the women who went on 
     the record, named and unnamed, revealed patterns: the open 
     bathrobe, the running shower, the ``Let's change our meeting 
     from the restaurant to my room/your apartment/my 
     guesthouse.'' Once you, as a fair-minded reader, saw the 
     numbers and patterns, and once you saw them in a lengthy, 
     judicious, careful narrative, you knew who was telling the 
     truth. You knew what was true. Knowing was appalling and 
     sometimes shocking, but it also came as a kind of relief.
       Once predators, who are almost always repeat offenders, 
     understood the new way of reporting such stories, they 
     understood something else: They weren't going to get away 
     with it anymore. They'd never known that. And they were going 
     to pay a price, probably in their careers. They'd never known 
     that, either.
       Some great journalism, some great writing and thinking, has 
     come of this moment. Ronan Farrow's New Yorker pieces have 
     been credible and gutsy on all levels. Masha Gessen's piece 
     in the same magazine last week warned of moral panic, of a 
     blurring of the lines between different behaviors and a 
     confusion as to the boundaries between normal, messy human 
     actions and heinous ones. Rebecca Traister of New York 
     magazine has argued that it is a mistake to focus now on the 
     question of punishments, that maybe the helpful thing is to 
     focus on what's going on in our society that predators think 
     they can get away with this.
       Caitlin Flanagan in the Atlantic wrote the most important 
     political piece in `` Bill Clinton: A Reckoning.'' What is 
     striking about this moment, she argued, is not the number of 
     women who've come forward with serious allegations. ``What's 
     remarkable is that these women are being believed.'' Most 
     didn't have police reports or witnesses, and many were 
     speaking of things that had happened years ago. ``We have 
     finally come to some kind of national consensus about the 
     workplace; it naturally fosters a level of romance and 
     flirtation, but the line between those impulses and the 
     sexual predation of a boss is clear.''
       What had impeded the ability of victims to be believed in 
     the past? The Bill Clinton experience. He was ``very 
     credibly'' accused, as Ms. Flanagan wrote, of sex crimes at 
     different points throughout the 1990s--Juanita Broaddrick 
     said he violently raped her; Paula Jones said he exposed 
     himself to her; Kathleen Willey said she went to him for 
     advice and that he groped and assaulted her. These women 
     ``had far more credible evidence'' than many recent accusers. 
     ``But Clinton was not left to the swift and pitiless justice 
     that today's accused men have experienced.'' He was rescued 
     instead by ``a surprising force: machine feminism.''
       That movement had by the '90s devolved into a ``partisan 
     operation.'' Gloria Steinem in March 1998 wrote a famous New 
     York Times op-ed that, in Ms. Flanagan's words, ``slut-
     shamed, victim-blamed, and age-shamed'' the victims and 
     ``urged compassion for and gratitude to the man the women 
     accused.'' This revealed contemporary feminism as ``a 
     weaponized auxiliary of the Democratic Party.'' Ms. Steinem 
     characterized the assaults as ``passes,'' writing: ``Even if 
     the allegations are true, the President is not guilty of 
     sexual harassment.''
       Ms. Steinem operated with the same logic as the skeeviest 
     apologist for Roy Moore: Don't credit any charges. Gotta 
     stick with our team.
       Ms. Flanagan: ``The widespread liberal response to the sex-
     crime accusations against Bill Clinton found their natural 
     consequence 20 years later in the behavior of Harvey 
     Weinstein: Stay loudly and publicly and extravagantly on the 
     side of signal leftist causes and you can do what you want in 
     the privacy of your offices and hotel rooms.''
       The article called for a Democratic Party ``reckoning'' on 
     the way it protected Bill Clinton.
       It was a great piece.
       I close with three thoughts.
       The first springs from an observation Tucker Carlson made 
     on his show about 10 days ago. He marveled, briefly, at this 
     oddity: Most of the accused were famous media personalities, 
     influential journalists, entertainers. He noted that all 
     these people one way or another make their living in front of 
     a camera.
       It stayed with me. What is it about men and modern fame 
     that makes them think they can take whatever they want when 
     they want it, and they'll always get away with it, even as 
     word, each year, spreads. Watch out for that guy.
       Second, if the harassment is, as it seems to me, weirder 
     and more over the top now than, say, 40 years ago, why might 
     that be?
       Third, a hard and deep question put quickly: An aging 
     Catholic priest suggested to a friend that all this was 
     inevitable. ``Contraception degenerates men,'' he said, as 
     does abortion. Once you separate sex from its seriousness, 
     once you separate it from its life-changing, life-giving 
     potential, men will come to see it as just another want, a 
     desire like any other. Once they think that, then they'll see 
     sexual violations as less serious, less charged, less full of 
     weight. They'll be more able to rationalize. It's only petty 
     theft, a pack of chewing gum on the counter, and I took it.
       In time this will seem true not only to men, but to women.
       This is part of the reason I'm thankful for what I'm 
     seeing. I experience it, even if most women don't, or don't 
     consciously, as a form of saying no, this is important. It is 
     serious.

  Mrs. COMSTOCK. She noted the patterns of the various infamous 
predators of late and how their victims were now coming forward. These 
are the same kind of victims that we see in human trafficking or child 
abuse.
  She writes: ``Once predators, who are almost always repeat offenders, 
understood the new way of reporting such stories, they understood 
something else: They weren't going to get away

[[Page H9496]]

with it anymore. They'd never known that. And they were going to pay a 
price, probably in their careers. They'd never known that, either.''
  Sexual predators--and we need to understand the predator behavior--
has no place in this body.
  Today's education effort is just the first step. In the weeks going 
forward, we need to revise our process.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bost). The time of the gentlewoman has 
expired.
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentlewoman.
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. In the weeks going forward, we need to revise the 
process to make it easier for women to come forward and provide them an 
advocate, ombudsman, or counsel, as Dorena recommended; we need to have 
a prohibition on any kind of Member-staff relationships with 
subordinates; no taxpayer funding for settlements of sexual harassment 
by Members of Congress; and transparency and accountability about who 
the harassers are.
  Mr. Speaker, I also thank the business community for their support.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), a valued member of our 
committee.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, for us women who have been victims of 
assault or harassment, this is a very serious, serious matter. I intend 
to vote for this bill today. But, as has been mentioned, it is just a 
first step. We know on the House Administration Committee that we are 
going to have to dig in and make sure that the training that is 
referred to in this bill is a lot better than what we have right now. 
It is deficient.
  I would like to say also that the process that we have for victims to 
come forward is an embarrassment. It needs to be refined, reviewed, and 
fixed from the point of view of the victim.

                              {time}  1500

  Here in America, every day we open our news feed and we see someone 
else who has been fired because of engaging in sexual harassment 
misconduct. It is part of, really, a component of devaluing women. That 
is what this is about.
  I heard my colleague from the House Administration Committee mention 
the columnist who said that the sexual harassment racket is over. I am 
afraid it isn't. Not yet. But it is our obligation to make sure that it 
does end.
  We are the House of Representatives. It should be expected of us that 
we take the lead, that we set the standard for how women can be valued 
in the workplace. I think this first step is valuable, but if we had to 
walk a mile, this is a foot.
  I am happy to support this measure, but I am looking forward to 
working with Mr. Brady, who has been such a leader, and the committee. 
We have had a bipartisan effort with the chairman of the committee. We 
have got a lot of work to do, and I look forward to doing it.
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time I have left?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Mississippi has 5 minutes 
remaining, and the gentleman from Pennsylvania has 8 minutes remaining.
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Lance). He is a distinguished member of the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce.
  Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise as well as a member of the House 
Ethics Committee to assure the public that the House Ethics Committee 
takes these matters very seriously. I rise in strong support of H. Res. 
630, and I hope that it passes unanimously today. I commend Barbara 
Comstock and Jackie Speier for their tremendous work in this area.
  Congress should be leading on this issue, helping to foster a 
workplace environment free of sexual harassment, discrimination, and 
other terrible behavior. Congress must ensure an atmosphere where those 
who serve their country here feel protected, supported, and believed, 
particularly young people who come here with such idealism, no matter 
the power of the offender. I take these matters seriously, as should 
every Member of Congress.
  The reports that taxpayer funds have been used for settlements 
related to harassment by Members of Congress are rightfully infuriating 
to the American people and to me personally. We need transparency and 
accountability and to end any sexual harassment settlements paid by 
taxpayers.
  Today's action ensures that thousands of House employees know their 
rights and the services offered to victims. I strongly urge a ``yes'' 
vote.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Washington, D.C. (Ms. Norton).
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chair and ranking member 
of the committee for bringing this bill forward at a time of national 
crisis in the workplace on sexual harassment.
  When I chaired the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which was 
15 years after the statute had been passed, sexual harassment had not 
even been defined as a form of workplace discrimination. We held 
hearings and so defined it, and the Supreme Court thereafter affirmed 
the EEOC guidelines.
  Congress, nevertheless, exempted itself until 30 years later when in 
1995--prompted by a controversy involving Members of the Congress--
brought Congress under 13 major civil rights and labor laws. But 
mysteriously--and I still can't understand why--Congress exempted 
itself from the easiest provision, the provision we bring forward today 
for posting and training. I will never understand that failure, but we 
are trying to move forward today.
  There are other needed provisions, and I have introduced a bill to 
bring the comprehensive provisions that we now require of the 
legislative branch or the private sector forward, and I thank the 
Committee on House Administration for continuing to work on these 
issues, too.
  Congress failed in 1964. Congress failed again in 1995. Now, in 2017, 
it is impossible to justify exempting congressional offices and Members 
of Congress from the comprehensive provisions Congress now requires of 
private employers and Federal agencies. We will never be respected 
until we are brought under the same laws as everybody else.
  Congressional staff deserve the same civil and antidiscrimination 
protections afforded to other Federal employees. It is important that 
powerful figures who play an outsized role here in Congress be brought 
to the same level as other employers.
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello), a distinguished member of the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce.
  Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 
H. Res. 630, a resolution I helped introduce that would require sexual 
harassment training and antidiscrimination training for Members of 
Congress, staff, and interns.
  The requirements in this resolution are long overdue, Mr. Speaker. 
This is an issue which the Federal Government must be a leader on. 
Under this legislation, training must be completed within a certain 
timeframe, and employees must provide proof they have completed the 
training to the Committee on House Administration.
  It is very important that we take serious steps to address harassment 
in Congress. I applaud Congresswoman Comstock on her leadership. I have 
been proud to work with Congresswoman Speier, along with the bipartisan 
group of my colleagues, to make sure we have a productive, safe, and 
professional work environment here in Congress.
  This resolution is part of that solution, and I will continue working 
and pressing for additional reforms. I urge all of my colleagues to 
support this resolution.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence).
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this 
resolution that requires every House Member and employee to complete 
antiharassment, antidiscrimination training. The first commonsense step 
is to make this training mandatory.
  I introduced a bill a month ago and gathered over 100 cosponsors, 
Democrats and Republicans, to make sexual harassment training mandatory 
in the House, Senate, and support offices. I am glad the Senate has 
required training with this resolution, and now the

[[Page H9497]]

House must do the same. When women are at the table, Mr. Chairman, I am 
glad to say the conversation changes, and the voices in Congress of 
women have changed the conversation here.
  It is important that we must do all that we can to improve the 
congressional workforce, reform our outdated processes, and I support 
this legislation to address this issue, and I know that my Members of 
Congress will do the same today.
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Messer), the chair of the House Republican Policy 
Committee and a distinguished member of the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce.
  Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his work.
  Hoosiers get it. The recent reports of sexual assault and harassment 
in Congress are reprehensible.
  I applaud Representative Comstock for her hard work on this 
resolution. The House resolution today is an important step in the 
right direction. It mandates that everyone working in Congress has the 
proper antiharassment training.
  We must do more. The AP recently reported that the Federal Government 
has spent $17 million in taxpayer money settling harassment claims and 
other violations. It is astounding that tax dollars have been spent to 
protect Members of Congress and silence victims.
  It is not okay. That is why I am filing legislation to stop taxpayer 
dollars from being used in this way, to settle sexual harassment claims 
against Members of Congress. This legislation will empower victims by 
releasing them from nondisclosure agreements that prevent them from 
coming forward and telling their story. Let's pass today's resolution 
and then keep working to do more.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster).
  Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Brady 
and the chair. I want to thank especially Congresswoman Speier and 
Congresswoman Comstock for their good work on this issue.
  Almost 40 years ago, I worked here in the United States Congress as a 
member of the staff. I was 23 years old and I was sexually assaulted by 
a distinguished guest of the United States Congress. Neither I nor 
anyone in my office had received any type of sexual harassment 
training. I had no place to turn; I had no one to tell; and I could do 
nothing about it.
  But today is a historic day. This is a watershed moment. Times have 
changed and people do make changes. This is one that we are all 
standing together--Republicans, Democrats, men, women, across the 
board--to say ``enough is enough.''
  I support this resolution as an important first step so that every 
Member of Congress and every member of the staff on Capitol Hill 
understand that we are drawing the line. We have had enough. We need to 
address sexual harassment and assault in the workplaces, on college 
campuses, in our military, and communities. The Halls of Congress can 
be no exception.
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Reed), a distinguished member of the Committee on Ways and 
Means.
  Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I rise today and join my colleagues. The 
Republican and Democratic men and women stand together here on the 
floor of the House to join in the recognition that when it comes to 
sexual harassment and sexual assault across America, we say ``no 
more.'' We say ``enough is enough?''
  Yes, this is a step--a small step in the right direction, but it is a 
legitimate step for us to reflect those that we represent across 
America and saying to the issue that have impacted all of us, my family 
included, when it comes to sexual harassment and sexual assault, we 
stand together as Americans and in this body to declare that no more 
shall sexual harassment and sexual assault be allowed to exist in our 
society.
  I applaud my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for doing this and 
the leadership they have demonstrated on this issue once and for all.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Frankel).
  Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, first I want to thank my 
colleagues and all those ``me too'' survivors who bravely come forward 
to tell their stories of sexual harassment.

  Imagine you are a young congressional staffer who eagerly comes to 
Washington to make the world a better place for some and work for 
someone you actually believe in. Instead, your boss breaks your trust 
with unwanted sexual advances, groping, abusive language, or worse, and 
you feel absolutely devastated and powerless.
  Here is the thing: the United States Congress has made sexual 
harassment in the workplace illegal, yet this behavior has sullied our 
own Halls.
  Quite frankly, I think it is pitiful and embarrassing that we even 
have to have this discussion, but with that said, today's resolution to 
require mandatory antiharassment training is obviously a good step and 
necessary. And there is more work to be done, as my colleagues have 
said.
  There must be respect and safety in all our workplaces, in Congress, 
and across America. I urge all my colleagues to support this good 
resolution.
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney).
  (Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York asked and was given permission 
to revise and extend her remarks.)

                              {time}  1515

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking 
Member Brady for his leadership; Chairman Harper for moving so swiftly 
on this issue; and my colleague, Jackie Speier, who has selflessly 
worked on this issue for many years, along with Barbara Comstock.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill.
  Too often, harassment is treated just like it is part of the job; and 
if anyone complained, they were fired, punished, or paid off to be 
silent. This is an important cultural change where harassment, which is 
illegal, is treated seriously as a crime that needs to stop; and to 
train staff, Members, and officers on how to know what is right and 
what is wrong so that there is no misunderstanding.
  This is a first step. I strongly support Congresswoman Speier's bill 
that has a comprehensive approach, which bans the use of taxpayer money 
to silence victims and to settle this.
  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, make no mistake about it, this is bullying: 
sexual bullying harassment.
  I have a wife, a daughter, a granddaughter, and a great-
granddaughter. I have a responsibility to protect them. In the people's 
House, we have mothers, wives, daughters, granddaughters, great-
granddaughters, and we have a responsibility to protect them.
  Men have a responsibility to stand up and confront this behavior when 
we see it. We have a responsibility to demand better of other men. We 
have a responsibility to confront these bullies.
  Men who use their power to harass and abuse others are disgraceful, 
and we cannot tolerate their behavior. We need to stop having a system 
that enables it.
  Mr. Speaker, I personally witnessed an incident back in my perch, 
where I stay back in the corner there, of a Congresswoman that was 
leaning back talking to me, and a Congressman walked by and groped her 
from behind. I reached over and, lucky for him, I just couldn't grab 
him. I wanted to chase him down the aisle, but the Congresswoman, as 
classy as she is, said: ``No, don't do that. You may get in a little 
trouble. We will take care of him.'' And he got taken care of pretty 
well.
  I wonder if women would be disrespected or sexually bullied if their 
husbands or their fathers were standing next to them when somebody 
tried to sexually harass them or grope them. That is why I say men who 
do that are bullies and cowards. Just treat women with the respect and 
dignity that you would your own mother.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask for a unanimous vote on this resolution, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page H9498]]

  

  Mr. HARPER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this House, this special place, should not be tarnished 
any longer by the inexcusable behavior of some of our Members. The 
standard needs to be high.
  Mr. Speaker, I give a special thank-you to Speaker Paul Ryan and his 
commitment that he has that we get this right. I thank Ranking Member 
Brady for the way that we have been able to work together on this. 
Certainly, Representatives Speier and Comstock have been invaluable in 
this process as we go forward.
  We have heard from so many Members today on the importance of this. 
This is a resolution that is necessary and it is a product of a strong 
bipartisan incorporation. This is something that is just the beginning, 
as has been said today. We had a hearing on November 14, and we will 
have another hearing on the Congressional Accountability Act on 
December 7. But to have this resolution to make sure that our Members 
and staff are educated to know their rights and responsibilities is a 
critical first step.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this resolution, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 630, 
which would require each Member, officer and employee of the House to 
complete anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training. Enacting 
this legislation ought to be a first step toward affirming with one 
voice that there is absolutely no place for discrimination nor 
harassment of any kind in the Halls of Congress. But we must also do 
more than agree to mandatory training.
  As elected officials, we ought to be held to a higher standard. 
Congress must review and improve the current administrative procedure 
for victims to come forward. All harassment and discrimination 
allegations must be taken seriously. After enacting this measure, 
Congress must streamline the process, protect victims that wish to be 
protected, and ensure all allegations of wrongdoing are investigated 
with professionalism, urgency and due process.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation and encourage 
the House to take whatever administrative steps are necessary to make 
it easier for victims to come forward. More importantly, I respectfully 
ask all of my colleagues to take a close look inward at themselves and 
their offices and to put an immediate end to the cultural climate that 
has allowed harassment and discrimination to tarnish the institution of 
Congress. We can do better and we must.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the House 
Committees on the Judiciary, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 630, 
which requires all employees of the House of Representatives--including 
Members, interns, detailees, and fellows--to complete an anti-
harassment and anti-discrimination training program during each session 
of Congress.
  Additionally, each individual would be required to complete the 
training within ninety days of the start of each session, and each new 
employee to complete the training within ninety days of their hire 
date.
  This training must be completed every session of Congress.
  The resolution directs the Committee on House Administration to issue 
regulations to ensure compliance and transparency and upon passage of 
the resolution, the Committee is required to promulgate these 
regulations within thirty days.
  Mr. Speaker, the many allegations of sexual harassment that have come 
to light involving prominent individuals in the fields of government, 
entertainment, business, and other fields in recent months are 
appalling and intolerable.
  There must be zero-tolerance for sexual harassment in our society, 
and this body can set an example for the nation by declaring itself to 
be sexual harassment free zone and policing itself to hold members, 
staff, and associated personnel to this standard.
  It is important that all persons working in this body understand that 
everyone has a right to a workplace free of harassment and intimidation 
and that complaints will be taken seriously and fully investigated by 
the Ethics Committee or the House Administration Committee.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the moment to embrace and affirm zero tolerance 
for sexual harassment and assault and we must soon reauthorize and 
strengthen the Violence Against Women Act to provide stronger tools to 
prevent and punish sexual harassment and sexual assault.
  As the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, I am 
committed to doing all I can to make this happen as soon as possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H. Res. 630 and urge all Members to 
vote in favor its adoption.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H. Res. 630.
  This legislation would require all Members, offices, and employees of 
the House of Representatives to complete a workplace rights and 
responsibilities training program each session of Congress.
  H. Res. 630 is a focused effort to address harassment and 
discrimination on Capitol Hill. As recent headlines have exposed, these 
issues are pervasive across the country. As leaders of the United 
States and voices for our constituents, we must do better. If we want 
to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace, we must lead by 
example and be willing to take every available step to ensure these 
instances are prevented and promptly addressed.
  As a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, I have long been 
committed to creating a positive and safe work environment. In early 
October of this year, my staff participated in a program on sexual 
harassment and workplace rights. Empowering employees with knowledge of 
their rights and drawing clear distinctions between appropriate 
behavior and harassment can help thwart abuses before they can occur. 
Additionally, educating employees on ways to report abuse can ensure 
that when incidents happen they are addressed forthrightly.
  H. Res. 630 also requires interns and fellows to undergo training as 
well which is vital to full compliance. Most offices have well-
established intern programs, and these individuals are often young, 
unpaid, and particularly vulnerable. It is important to ensure they too 
know their rights and what is appropriate in an office setting.
  I support H. Res. 630 because it is a bipartisan effort to promote 
equality and fair treatment in the workplace and it is a good first 
step in addressing such an extensive problem.
  Some may rightfully ask what took us so long.
  Passing this legislation sends the message that we condemn harassment 
in any form, and that we will use our authority to support positive 
work environments.
  I urge each of you to support H. Res. 630.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Harper) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 630.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________