Esty Amendment to Support Employee Wellness Passes House

Press Release

Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (CT-5) released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted last night to pass her amendment to the Mini-Bus, which would allocate an additional $500,000 in funding and resources to the Office of Employee Assistance (OEA). OEA is primarily responsible for assisting employees whose job performance may be negatively affected by personal and professional problems. The amendment passed by voice vote.

"The Office of Employee Assistance provides valuable services for Members of Congress and staff and yet the office is grossly understaffed. No company, no state or federal agency would have an employee assistance staff of six to serve 9,000 employees. Neither should the House of Representatives," said Esty.

"At a time when this Congress rightly is being called upon to seriously address long-standing issues of sexual harassment in our workplace, we have an obligation to provide better resources to our members and our staff. Making more funds available to the Office of Employee Assistance is an important step for us to take. We ought to be taking proactive steps to ensure we have the necessary knowledge and support we need in order to establish a strong office culture when it comes to successfully organizing our teams, hiring new employees, disciplining and evaluating staff, and handling employment complaints, including sexual harassment.

"I am pleased to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to guarantee all employees have access to the allocated resources devoted to their professional development and wellbeing. Our dedicated staff deserve better."

Also known as the "Mini-Bus, H.R. 5895, the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for FY 2019, approves funding for three of the 12 annual spending measures.

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