Committee chairs want data on sex harassment

WASHINGTON – The House Ethics Committee has requested detailed records to determine the amount federal taxpayers have paid to settle lawsuits on behalf of members of Congress involving sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination.

The bipartisan committee chairs, Reps. Susan Brooks, R-Ind., and Theodore Deutch, D-Fla., sent a letter Friday to the Office of Compliance, the congressional department responsible for payouts that have stirred controversy because they come out of the U.S. Treasury.

The chairs are requesting “all records” related to “any claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation or any other employment practice” prohibited by federal rules, the letter says.

Previously, the Office of Compliance reported that it has paid victims more than $17 million since its inception in 1990. Yet that figure includes all settlements, not just related to sexual harassment.

Separately, the House Administration Committee released figures dating to 2013 that show a total of six settlements totaling $359,450 involving claims against six House member offices. Of those, one claim for alleged sexual harassment was for $84,000. That 2015 settlement was reached by Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, and a former aide. Lauren Greene was Farenthold’s communications director until she was fired in July 2014. That December, she filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing Farenthold of making sexually charged statements toward her and engaging in off-color behavior.

Other alleged incidents include one for age discrimination, $76,000; one for disability discrimination, $37,250; and one for veteran status discrimination and retaliation, $15,000.