Congress yet to act on flawed anti-harassment system [View all]
Source: Politico
The Senate will now require sexual harassment training but the process for handling complaints has not been addressed.
By ELANA SCHOR 11/14/2017 05:10 AM EST
Senators in both parties are touting their move last week to require sexual harassment training for all members and aides.
What they dont mention is that many Senate offices already required training or were moving toward it and that their vote did nothing to reform a system for handling complaints that critics say deters victims from coming forward.
Now, some lawmakers are fighting to ensure that the Senates unanimous approval of mandatory training doesnt make further reforms harder by offering political cover to members who would prefer to move on. Bipartisan talks on an overhaul of the Capitols harassment policy, which critics in and out of Congress say is stacked against victims, remain in their early stages.
It's a really important conversation that the country is having about harassment, said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), whos waged underdog battles for GOP support to beef up sexual assault protections in the military and on campus.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/14/congress-harassment-training-complaints-244854?lo=ap_d1