Women pols urge ‘me too’ legislation
Proposals include ban on secret settlements in sexual harassment suits
Two women legislators from Delaware County are introducing bills in Harrisburg that would give women in the workplace a greater defense from sexual harassment by their equals and superiors, from local businesses to the House chambers and state Capitol.
This week, women of the Pennsylvania House and Senate joined in announcing bills that would update protections for victims of sexual assault and would better hold the accused accountable.
Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky, D-161 of Swarthmore, Rep. Margo Davidson, D-164 of Upper Darby, Rep. Maureen Madden, D-115 of Monroe County, and Rep. Carol Hill-Evans, D-95 of York County introduced a package of sexual harassment bills that would require better workplace training and extend protections to employees of small businesses; create a task force to examine sexual assault on college campuses; and prohibit nondisclosure agreements for sexual assault claims.
“The recent stories from around the country and right here in the Pennsylvania Legislature show that sexual harassment and abuse have been overlooked for far too long,” said Davidson, chairwoman of the Democratic Women’s Caucus. “We’re here to say enough is enough. It is long past time that we step up to protect women and ensure that harassment is not only taken seri-
ously, but that women feel safe enough to come forward as soon as possible.”
Madden’s bill would legally protect all employees in Pennsylvania from unwanted sexual harassment by extending the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to any entity that has more than one employee.
Hill-Evans introduced H.B. 1633, which seeks to set up a task force on campus sexual assault, a problem she said is “an all too common problem in our Commonwealth.” Thanks to the #MeToo movement, which has sprung up in the past few months in the wake of sexual harassment allegations against titans of industry, entertainment and media, however, there is now an “opportunity to address this problem head-on,” she said.
Krueger-Braneky introduced the #MeToo Pennsylvania General Assembly (Member and Employee Training and Oversight on PA General Assembly) Act, which would ban nondisclosure agreements and prohibit lawmakers from using taxpayer funds for settlements.
Krueger-Braneky said she was inspired by the women of the #MeToo movement, who empowered others to reveal tales of sexual harassment they kept secret out of shame, societal stigmas or an inability to properly hold accountable men in positions of power. Posting on her Facebook page, Krueger-Braneky told the story of a college professor who made unwanted advances toward her when she was a freshman.
“It’s important for women in leadership roles to share their experiences,” she said.
Afterward her post, Krueger-Braneky said women in the state Capitol – lawmakers, staff, lobbyists – came to her with similar tales of harassment by men in the Legislature.
When she saw the story of Philadelphia Sheriff Jewell Williams using $30,000 in taxpayer money to settle a claim of sexual misconduct, she said, it was time for a change.
“It’s absolutely wrong and unfair,” Krueger-Braneky said.
Currently, the Democratic and Republican caucuses in both the Pennsylvania House and Senate all do their own independent review of workplace grievances that are filed.
“Each caucus has its own policies. There’s very little transparency, not one overarching process,” KruegerBraneky said.
Legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives was introduced in early November by Rep. Jackie Speier, D-California, that would change current House policy to make sexual harassment training mandatory for all House members and their staff. It garnered two Republican co-sponsors, Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-Maine, and Rep. Ryan Costello, R-6 of West Goshen.
The sexual harassment prevention and response training would be required annually with a certificate of completion provided to the House Committee on Ethics.
“I believe mandatory compliance training for sexual harassment prevention and procedures for response should be instituted for members of Congress and all employees of the House,” Costello said in a statement released Nov. 2. “This resolution is an important step forward to establishing a clear standard and approach to addressing this issue.”
Since Dec. 5, three members of U.S. Congress have indicated they will resign their posts following allegations of sexual harassment – Sen. Al Franken, D-Minnesota, U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Michigan, and U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Arizona.
Krueger-Braneky said the #MeToo Bill – H.B. 1965 – was modeled after this federal legislation. She set a goal to establish an office that would be responsible for all complaints of ethics violations against members.
Currently the bill has more than 50 bipartisan cosponsors.