All 22 women of the Senate have signed a letter urging a fix to Capitol Hill’s antiquated sexual harassment laws. Spearheaded by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Patty Murray (D-WA), the letter criticizes Senate leaders Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer for their failure to move forward with a reform for the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995.
In February of this year the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan effort to reform the legislation, but it has been stalled in the Senate since then. The bipartisan letter expresses “deep disappointment” that nothing has been done. In a statement last week, Kirsten Gillibrand wrote, “It begs the question: Who are they trying to protect?”
With provisions forcing survivors to go through counseling during a 30-day “cooling off period” before pursuing legal action, the CAA is long overdue for change. According to the letter, “four out of ten women congressional staffers believe that sexual harassment is a problem on Capitol Hill.”
The version of the bill that passed the House includes amendments that would ban lawmakers from using taxpayer money to settle sexual harassment cases and would get rid of the required counseling sessions.