Introduction of the Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, today I am pleased to be joined by Ranking Member Lucas in introducing the Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, the nation is still reckoning with the pervasiveness of sexual harassment and its impact on the lives and careers of women, including in academia.

The academic workplace, when compared to the military, private sector, and government, has the second-highest rate of sexual harassment, with 58 percent of women in academia experiencing sexual harassment. This behavior undermines career advancement for women in critical STEM fields. Many women report leaving promising careers in academic research altogether due to sexual harassment. Women of color are even more likely to experience sexual harassment and to feel unsafe at work. We cannot afford--morally, scientifically, or economically--to continue to lose these skilled scientists and engineers, particularly from groups that are already underrepresented in STEM.

As recommended in the landmark report by the National Academies entitled Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, this bill establishes a National Science Foundation program to support research into the factors contributing to sexual harassment in the scientific workforce, as well as the collection of data on the prevalence of sexual harassment in STEM. Furthermore, this bill directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy to issue uniform policy guidelines to Federal science agencies to ensure every agency has clear policies and dedicated resources to prevent and respond to incidents of sexual harassment at academic institutions receiving federal research funding. It also creates an interagency working group to improve coordination and communication among agencies.

It is my hope that this legislation will build upon progress already made by the National Science Foundation and other agencies over the last few years. In 2018, the Foundation updated its award terms and conditions to ensure the agency is alerted of findings of sexual harassment or administrative actions taken against NSF-funded researchers during the course of an investigation. It is vital that agencies and grantees, as stewards of Federal money, take seriously their responsibility to foster a healthy working environment as they train the next generation of scientists. It is encouraging that other agency heads have taken steps to address sexual harassment in research. Following NSF's lead, the National Institutes of Health instituted a similar update to its grant rules. The approach must be coordinated to minimize confusion and burden for institutions and researchers.

I also credit Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier, former OSTP Director, for his commitment to this issue. In his testimony to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology last year, Dr. Droegemeier reported that the Joint Committee on Research Environments (JCORE) Subcommittee on Safe and Inclusive Environments was compiling a comprehensive inventory of Federal agency policies and practices targeted at addressing all forms of harassment in the research environment, with the intent to identify best practices and develop a coordinated Federal action plan. I urge the current administration to make this a priority. These resources are urgently needed.

Scientific societies, universities, national laboratories, and those in leadership positions across the scientific enterprise also play an important role in combating sexual harassment in the sciences. I am pleased that my legislation is endorsed by 23 scientific societies and student organizations. In developing this bill, feedback from university associations and scientific societies has been invaluable, and it is encouraging that so many key players are committed to addressing sexual harassment in science.

This legislation supports a coordinated evidence-based approach to addressing the problem of sexual harassment at research universities and funds research that will serve as the foundation for future initiatives in this area.

I urge the rest of my colleagues to join us and help move this legislation forward into law.

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