Back in February of this year, after sexual harassment charges were leveled against several prominent Members of Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to strengthen the anti-harassment laws that apply to Congress and its employees. In May, the Senate followed suit with its own version of the bill.
Because of differences in the two bills, House and Senate negotiators sat down to iron out a consensus measure. Now, six months after the two sides first began meeting, final agreement has been reached, has been passed by each body, and is on its way to President Trump for his expected signature.
Even though the direct impact will be limited to Congressional employees, the final measure contains several provisions that may influence ongoing efforts by advocates to strengthen anti-harassment protections for private sector employees, including a provision that would make harassers personally liable for any sexual harassment award or settlement.
The text of the new law is available here.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.