[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 195 (Thursday, November 30, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1624-E1625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   REQUIRING COMPLETION OF TRAINING PROGRAM IN WORKPLACE RIGHTS AND 
                            RESPONSIBILITIES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. PRAMILA JAYAPAL

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 29, 2017

  Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to support H. Res. 630, which 
would require that

[[Page E1625]]

each member of Congress, as well as officers and employees of the House 
of Representatives, complete anti-harassment training each session of 
Congress. We are in a watershed moment in our country and we in 
Congress must draw a line in the sand and make it clear that sexual 
harassment will not be tolerated.
  We have witnessed countless accusations come out in the news about 
high-profile individuals, and millions of women around the country have 
opened old wounds and shared their stories to show just how systemic 
this problem truly is. Congress is not impervious. Accusations against 
current and former members have flooded the news, and it has 
highlighted how insufficient our sexual harassment prevention and 
remediation processes have been in both the House and the Senate.
  I am proud to join so many of my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle in support of this resolution, which is the first step in 
creating an environment on Capitol Hill that is safe and supportive for 
everyone. However, we must not let this be our last action. We cannot 
introduce this bill and wash our hands of the problem. We must continue 
to work in a bipartisan manner to improve the complaint and 
investigation procedures in both chambers, and we must evaluate the 
rules and scope of the Ethics Committee to ensure the committee is 
fully staffed and prepared to evaluate sexual harassment cases in a 
timely manner. We need to implement a process that does not silence 
women, but gives them a voice and allows them to be heard.
  And, together we must condemn this behavior--regardless of party. We 
must show that we are united in our commitment to dismantle this system 
that has shielded perpetrators for so long. We must stand with 
survivors and demand justice. Today we are showing that we want to 
ensure that this process starts within the halls of Congress.

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