[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 209 (Thursday, December 21, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1750]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          ENDING SECRECY ABOUT WORKPLACE SEXUAL HARASSMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 21, 2017

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce 
the Ending Secrecy About Workplace Sexual Harassment Act.
  We are experiencing a national moment of reckoning. Millions of 
people who have been victims of sexual misconduct in the workplace are 
telling their stories and initiating a movement to create real change. 
We have an obligation to listen to all those who have come forward and 
recognize that many are still suffering in silence. And we also have an 
obligation to take action to make things better going forward.
  The Ending Secrecy About Workplace Sexual Harassment Act will help 
lift the shroud of secrecy surrounding these cases that have concealed 
them for years or even decades by requiring companies to annually 
report all out-of-court settlements involving claims of sex 
discrimination, including sexual harassment and assault to the Equal 
Employment Opportunity Commission.
  When employers don't have to disclose these internal settlements and 
there is no public record about abuse, it can cause great harm to 
victims, other employees, and even the public at large. More complete 
data and a transparency requirement will help identify institutional 
problems that should elicit further investigation by EEOC. This bill 
also has the potential to spark a change in the workplace, inspiring 
corporate leaders to focus on prevention if they know that complete 
secrecy is no longer an option regardless of how a claim is addressed 
and resolved. With total secrecy, companies have absolutely no 
incentive to focus on preventing sexual misconduct if they know they 
will never be held accountable.
  In 2015, there were nearly 30,000 reports filed with the EEOC 
involving sexual harassment. That is one-third of the total harassment 
reports filed that year alone. If companies had to report all of their 
private settlements, that number would likely increase. The EEOC can 
also use these reports to take action, if appropriate, and go after 
violators.
  I believe this is an important first step toward increasing 
accountability in the private sector to ensure a safer, fairer 
workplace for everyone. I thank my colleagues, Representatives Khanna, 
Norton, Cummings, David Scott, Shea-Porter, Raskin, Connolly, Suozzi, 
Kuster, Moore, Dingell, and Pallone for joining me as original 
cosponsors on this legislation, and hope that more members will support 
as well.

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