Bill Requires Public Firms to Make Sexual Harassment Public

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., are set to introduce legislation Tuesday that would require public firms to publicly report allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace, BuzzFeed News has reported.

The idea behind the Democratic congressmen's legislation, known as the "Sunlight in Workplace Harassment Act," is investors are entitled to know the details of both harassment allegations and any settlements that public companies have made, including the average length of time for an employer to resolve a complaint. The legislation, however, specifically forbids the disclosure of the names of employees involved in the settlements.

The bill also requires public firms to report on settlements made over complaints connected to race, religion, sex, gender identity, genetic information, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, service-member status, or age discrimination, according to BuzzFeed.

Rosen said the bill was inspired by the #MeToo movement, which "has taught us that we're not going to change the culture where this misconduct is brushed aside or openly tolerated in workplaces across America without more transparency on how these issues are being handled."

Warren added the "bill will help systemically expose workplace harassment and push employers across the country to aggressively prevent it."

But it is not clear how much support the legislation has, as so far only six additional Democratic senators have signed onto it.

Rosen stressed this should not be a partisan issue and said he has "spoken to some of my Republican colleagues about this legislation, and several have expressed interest in learning more about the bill."

The introduction of the legislations comes as Congress has been focusing on the issue in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement.

Earlier this month, the House passed a bill that requires Congressmen to personally pay for any sexual harassment settlements, and would aid victims using the complaint process on Capitol Hill, according to USA Today.

Congress had been criticized because some settlements against legislators have been paid with funds from the U.S. Treasury.

That legislation has now moved on to the Senate.

• House-Passed Sexual Harassment Bill Takes Taxpayers Off the Hook
• Rep. John Conyers Denies Settling 2015 Sex Allegation Firing