Following the unanimous passage of H. Res 630 mandating workforce harassment training in Congress, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement:
"As women and minorities in the workforce have long known, harassment and discrimination are pervasive in every industry. This systemic abuse of power is deeply wrong and continues to go unchecked in professional environments where victims are disempowered. Until now Congress hasn't required even basic workforce harassment training to prevent a culture of secrecy and predatory behavior from running amok.
"I've co-sponsored legislation to make training mandatory for members, staff and officers and voted in favor of H. Res 630 today because everyone deserves to be treated with dignity in the workforce. Making this training mandatory is an important first step in changing the culture of Congress, but we must also urgently reform the Office of Compliance so that accountability, transparency, and safety are upheld for every single person who works here. I urge Speaker Ryan to bring the bipartisan Me Too bill to the floor so we can begin reform a system that has for too long shielded the powerful from consequences."