Harassment plan would make lawmakers liable

WASHINGTON — Senate leaders said Tuesday that they have reached a tentative agreement on bipartisan sexual harassment legislation that would hold members of Congress personally liable for harassment claims.

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-MO., said he expected to introduce the bill with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-minn., later Tuesday. Voting is possible by the week’s end.

Under the emerging deal, lawmakers “will have personal liability” for harassment claims against them, Blunt said. It would also eliminate mandatory “cooling off ” periods before a complaint can be filed.

The Senate has been under pressure to act amid a national reckoning over sexual misconduct. The House passed legislation this year requiring lawmakers — including members who have left office — to reimburse the Treasury for settlements made with taxpayer funds. More than $300,000 in taxpayer funds has been paid over the past 15 years to settle sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination claims.

“We are very close to getting this done,” Klobuchar said of the bill. “We are reforming that entire system and also calling for more accountability of members.”

The anti-harassment bill passed by the House in February eliminated mandatory counseling and mediation, and it requires that a list of member offices that have reached sexual harassment settlements be published twice a year.

Over a period of mere months last year, more than a half-dozen lawmakers resigned amid allegations that they engaged in sexual misconduct.