’89 sex-harass whistleblower returns to Congress

It’s taken nearly 30 years, but Dorena Bertussi may finally get Congress to take sexual harassment seriously.

In 1989, Bertussi became the first congressional staffer to win a sexual-harassment case against a member of Congress when she brought a claim against her then-boss, Rep. Jim Bates (D-Calif.).

“It became an opportunity to stop it,” Bertussi told The Post. “I didn’t want him to . . . hurt more people.”

Now 65, Bertussi was a young aide when she moved to Washington, DC, in 1987 to work for Bates, who she says would comment on her breasts, straddle her leg and grind against her in the office.

The process of filing a complaint was a “joke,” Bertussi said.

The House Ethics Committee in October 1989 found Bates’ conduct was sexual harassment — but ordered him only to apologize. A year later, he lost his re-election bid.

Last Thursday, Bertussi returned to Congress for a hearing on rewriting sexual-harassment laws. She now is working with Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) on new legislation to overhaul the harassment-reporting process.

There’s growing consensus around Bertussi’s idea of creating an ombudsman to guide victims through filing a complaint.

“You need an advocate to take you through this,” she said.