After mounting concerns regarding Congress’ confidential sexual harassment settlements, the House of Representatives’ Office of Compliance has revealed statistics on harassment and discrimination payments made from 2008 to 2012 regarding discrimination in House congressional offices.
In a letter obtained by Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.), the Office of Compliance reported that $342,225.85 was paid to congressional staffers in 15 discrimination and harassment cases reported to the office between the 2008 to 2012 fiscal years. According to the report, $85,000 went to one claim of sexual harassment and harassment from retaliation, over $15,000 went to a sex discrimination case, and $5,000 was paid out in a race discrimination claim.
Each case involves staffers working in congressional offices connected to the House, which means data on sexual harassment cases in the Senate is still confidential. It’s also unclear how taxpayers’ dollars are used in each settlement, although ABC News reports $17 million in taxpayers’ funds has been used in discrimination cases over the past 20 years.
The Congressional Office of Compliance released some statistics today on sexual harassment settlements (using taxpayer dollars) involving Congressional offices between 2008-2012. pic.twitter.com/lsn6LUJprt
— Justin Fishel (@JustinFishelABC) December 19, 2017
Harper is also seeking additional information on sexual harassment payouts from 1997 to 2007, according to NBC News. But it seems unlikely that specific congressional representatives will be named in the near future, as confidentiality agreements prevent the office from disclosing certain details.
In other words, the nation’s lawmakers will have to tackle Congress’ harassment problem one report at a time—or alternatively, change the law so the Office of Compliance can disclose settlement information.
The Office of Compliance first emerged in the public spotlight after reports revealed Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) faced sexual harassment complaints from several female employees. Those initial allegations claimed the Office of Compliance had victims sign a confidentiality agreement before taking a complaint to court or engaging in a settlement. In one case, $27,000 in taxpayers’ funds from Conyers’ budget was paid to a woman in a wrongful dismissal case. Conyers has since declined to seek reelection for his House seat.
