Just 1 Senate harass payoff

DESPITE THE hue and cry over sexual harassment in the halls of power, only one claim of sex discrimination or harassment was settled by a senator’s office using a controversial Treasury Department fund, according to data released Thursday.

The data, which goes back 20 years, shows that claims of age discrimination were responsible for most of the settlements involving senators between now and 1997.

Overall, there were 13 settlements involving senators, totaling nearly $600,000, including the lone “Sex discrimination, Fair Labor Standards Act violation, and reprisal” claim for $14,260.25.

Congress has not traditionally separated claims of sexual harassment from sex discrimination in its record-keeping, officials said.

The amounts were released by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.