The House and Senate each passed bills to address such objections earlier this year, but key differences between them held up the process, according to people familiar with the discussions who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The 1995 law has several elements that victim advocates see as flawed, including mandated counseling, mediation and “cooling off” periods for accusers and lawmakers’ ability to use public funds for confidential settlements. The system for reporting workplace misconduct on Capitol Hill was created more than two decades ago by the Congressional Accountability Act, which applied federal labor laws to Congress. Some victim advocates and lawmakers who support changes view the delay as a sign that Congress has lost its urgency toward improving itself as a workplace and addressing one of the central concerns of #MeToo activists – holding powerful men accountable for sexual assault and harassment. After lawmakers could not agree on a package of changes, they punted the issue until after the midterm elections – which are now shaping up as a battle between the #MeToo movement and Republicans who say many accusations have gone too far. Kavanaugh, lawmakers had promised to make the process fairer for those who accuse lawmakers or staffers of sexual misconduct.īut nearly a year after the #MeToo era began, lawmakers have failed to deliver on that pledge – and it is not clear when they will.Īides on Capitol Hill still have no choice but to report abusive behavior through a system that was widely decried last year as favoring lawmakers over employees who allege mistreatment. Long before Congress was consumed by the wrenching fight over sexual assault allegations against Brett M.
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