Congress might actually get its act together to fix its rigged and broken system of dealing with sexual harassment and discrimination claims. After being stalled for months, with the Senate refusing key provisions of a stronger House bill, there's a compromise.
Under the compromise, members of Congress would have to personally pay settlements for “harassment or retaliation claims based on sex, ethnicity or race,” the New York Times reports. That’s a major shift from their current ability to use official funds for such settlements. But they wouldn’t have to personally pay to settle discrimination claims, in a concession to the Senate. Additionally, settlements relating to a member of Congress—even a former one—would be made public, and the House and Senate ethics committees would review settlements and awards.
The changes aren’t all financial, though. The compromise would eliminate some of the flaming hoops that victims of harassment or discrimination are currently forced to jump through in order to report—they wouldn’t have to endure a “cooling off period” or mandatory mediation.
“Generally, the bill isn’t perfect, but I think it’s a huge first step,” said Anna Kain, a former Capitol Hill aide who came forward this year with allegations of sexual harassment against the chief of staff for Representative Elizabeth Esty, Democrat of Connecticut. “I’m incredibly grateful that a deal was reached.”
“If I learned anything,” she added, “I think that sharing stories mattered.”
Of course, sharing stories only matters if people are listening, and in this case—as so often—making people listen has required building power and creating consequences even for the powerful. And now those consequences are going several steps toward the top of the ladder in one more part of our society where harassers have too long had a free pass.