WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote to the leaders of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration asking that committee to make sexual harassment training mandatory for all Senate offices.
“No one should feel uncomfortable or unsafe at work because of a colleague’s behavior, especially in the halls of the Senate. As a body of elected officials, we Senators have an obligation to set an example,” Grassley said. “Trainings like this are important for cultivating a healthy and productive environment and set exactly the baseline standards that any places of work should have.”
The congressional Office of Compliance (OOC) was established under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, which Grassley spearheaded to ensure Congress follows the same civil rights, labor, workplace safety and health laws as other federal agencies and the private sector. OOC offers sexual harassment training to Senate offices, but this training is not mandatory, so some may not be receiving it.
Senator Grassley’s personal office and the majority staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee and International Narcotics Control Caucus, which he chairs, are required to complete mandatory sexual harassment prevention and anti-discrimination training. In addition, all staff members are required to review the office’s policy manual, which sets forth specific standards for employee ethics and conduct.
Last year, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration sent a letter mandating that Senate employees take part in a Cybersecurity Awareness Training. Grassley seeks a similar Senate-wide letter mandating participation in sexual harassment training.
Full text of Grassley’s letter
