Murray Supports Bipartisan Reform of Congressional Harassment Policies; Calls for Continued Work

Murray: “This is a long-overdue and much-needed step toward overhauling the way harassment is addressed in the United States Congress.”

Murray: “I also want to make very clear that while this legislation is an important step, it is the first step and cannot be the last. There is so much more we need to do to ensure that no matter where someone is employed, she can focus on the job she came to do without fear of harassment.”

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the Senate’s passage of bipartisan legislation to reform Congress’ outdated policies on sexual assault and harassment.

“This is a long-overdue and much-needed step toward overhauling the way harassment is addressed in the United States Congress. I appreciate the great work done by Senator Klobuchar, Senator Gillibrand, Senator Blunt, Leaders McConnell and Schumer and others to negotiate this bipartisan proposal, which will help increase transparency, extend protections, and give survivors of workplace harassment in Congress more tools to hold perpetrators accountable regardless of how powerful they are.

“This step forward was only possible because women chose to come forward with painful stories of assault and harassment in order to prevent other women from experiencing the same. I am inspired by their courage.

“I also want to make very clear that while this legislation is an important step, it is the first step and cannot be the last. There is so much more we need to do to ensure that no matter where someone is employed, she can focus on the job she came to do without fear of harassment. We’ve now shown that we can work together to make progress on this issue, and there is every reason to keep pushing for more—here in Congress and in workplaces across the country. That’s exactly what I plan to do.” 

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