LEGAL/POLITICS/WOMEN: “Two things have become painfully clear on Capitol Hill this week: Lawmakers and staffers say sexual harassment is ‘rampant’ — but even members of Congress have no idea just how widespread the problem is.
The controversial and sensitive issue has taken center stage in Congress this week, with female lawmakers making fresh allegations of sexual harassment against unnamed members who are currently in office, and the unveiling of a new bill on Wednesday to change how sexual harassment complaints are reported and resolved.
So far, there’s been little specific data to help illuminate just how pervasive sexual harassment is on Capitol Hill, but one figure has emerged: More than $15 million has been paid out to victims through the Office of Compliance, the office that handles harassment complaints. That $15 million figure includes all settlements, not just related to sexual harassment, but also discrimination and other cases.
CNN has also learned that during the current Congress, no settlement payment approval requests have been made to the congressional committee charged with approving them.”
-Mj Lee, Sunlen Serfaty, and Juana Summers, “Congress paid out $15 million in settlements. Here’s why we know so little about that money.,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Nov. 16, 2017 12:12pm