The House overwhelmingly approved a resolution to publicly release the names of lawmakers who have used taxpayer dollars to settle sexual misconduct claims filed against them.
In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, lawmakers from both parties approved a proposal directing the House Ethics Committee and the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights to disclose the names of lawmakers who were involved in sexual harassment cases that ended in taxpayer-funded settlements. That report will also be required to include how much money was paid by each offending member.
All four members of Utah’s delegation voted in favor.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., filed the privileged resolution on Monday, which under House rules required Republican leaders to schedule a vote within two legislative days. The vote comes amid an otherwise stalled schedule as Republican leaders seek to schedule consideration of other must-pass bills on their agenda.
Under the resolution, the Ethics Committee and OCWR will need to disclose the report within 60 days of approval. The resolution only requires passage in the House because it only pertains to House business.
The report will list every member or delegate involved in a sexual-harassment review or investigation that resulted in a settlement paid for by taxpayer dollars, listing how much money was disbursed.
That list will extend to sexual harassment or misconduct claims made against House staffers and employees, according to the resolution. Staff will not be listed by name.
It will also include a disclosure of the aggregate total amount of taxpayer funds used in nonsexual harassment claims against lawmakers and their staff members.
When defining whether a case should be considered a sexual harassment claim, Massie’s resolution included a broad definition — mandating that any case that includes allegations of sexual misconduct will be considered a sexual misconduct case, even if it involves other unrelated claims.
The passage of the resolution comes after years of criticism that there is not enough transparency surrounding taxpayer-funded settlements involving members of Congress. It also comes after a slew of lawmakers were pressured to resign due to sexual misconduct allegations, prompting demands of accountability from remaining House members.
However, there have been concerns about privacy and due process in recent efforts to disclose sexual misconduct settlements within Congress, particularly when it comes to sensitive cases. The House previously shot down an effort by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., to release all records and investigative reports related to sexual harassment and misconduct allegations involving lawmakers.