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Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) has cosponsored legislation, the Congressional Accountability and Hush Fund Elimination Act, to stop the use of taxpayer money for sexual harassment settlements. In addition, the bill would disclose all payments previously made by the Office of Compliance, while still protecting the identity of any victims. Going forward, the bill would prohibit nondisclosure agreements as preconditions to initiate procedures addressing sexual harassment or assault claims. Latta recently cosponsored legislation, approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, to require sexual harassment training for all Members of Congress and congressional staff. Latta has already completed the training and his staff is expected to within a week.

“The current system in place on Capitol Hill to address sexual harassment lacks transparency, protects harassers, and dissuades employees from coming forward,” said Latta. “At the same time, the rules in place also punish taxpayers who are forced to pay for the bad behavior of Members of Congress or staff. The American people should no longer be on the hook for settlements, and we need to give victims the ability to have their claims heard. This legislation will fix the glaring problems with how Congress addresses harassment in the workplace.”

The Congressional Accountability and Hush Fund Elimination Act would:

Prohibit the use of public funds to pay settlements or awards for sexual harassment or assault claims;
Disclose all payments previously made by the Office of Compliance on its website (the name of the victim is expressly prohibited from being disclosed);
Require perpetrators to reimburse the taxpayers with interest;
Prohibit nondisclosure agreements as a precondition to initiate procedures to address sexual harassment or assault claims; and
Permit victims of sexual harassment or assault to make public statements about their claim, regardless of any previously signed nondisclosure agreement.
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