U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

32–363 WASHINGTON : 2018

MARKUP ON H. RES. 630: IMPLEMENTING 

MANDATORY ANTI-HARASSMENT, ANTIDISCRIMINATION TRAINING GUIDELINES 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE 

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE 

ADMINISTRATION 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

DECEMBER 19, 2017 

Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration 

( 

Available on the Internet: 

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/house/administration/index.html 


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COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION

GREGG HARPER, Mississippi, Chairman 

RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois, Vice Chairman 

BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia 

MARK WALKER, North Carolina 

ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska 

BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia 

ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania, 

Ranking Member 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

JAMIE RASKIN, Maryland 


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MARKUP ON H. RES. 630: IMPLEMENTING 

MANDATORY ANTI-HARASSMENT, ANTI-DISCRIMINATION TRAINING GUIDELINES 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2017 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION, 

Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 12:28 p.m., in Room 

1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Gregg Harper [Chairman of the Committee] presiding. 

Present: Representatives Harper, Davis, Comstock, Walker, 

Smith, Loudermilk, Brady, and Raskin. 

Staff Present: Sean Moran, Staff Director; Kim Betz, Deputy 

Staff Director/Policy and Oversight; Katie Patru, Deputy Staff Director/Outreach and Communications; Cole Felder, Deputy General 

Counsel; Dan Jarrell, Legislative Clerk; Erin McCracken, Communications Director; Jamie Fleet, Minority Staff Director; Khalil 

Abboud, Minority Deputy Staff Director; Eddie Flaherty, Minority 

Chief Clerk; and Meredith Connor, Minority Professional Staff. 

The CHAIRMAN. I call to order the Committee on House Administration for today’s Committee markup. A quorum is present, so we 

may proceed. 

The meeting record will remain open for 5 legislative days so 

Members may submit any materials they wish to be included therein. 

We are here today to formally approve a House resolution issuing 

regulations requiring Members, officers, and employees, including 

interns, fellows, and detailees, of the House of Representatives to 

complete a training program on workforce rights and responsibilities, including anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training, 

during each congressional session. 

This resolution will also serve to issue regulations requiring each 

House employing office post a statement of rights and protections 

provided to House employees under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. 

Let me first say thanks to Speaker Paul Ryan for his attention 

and commitment to this issue. I would also like to thank Representative Barbara Comstock, who is a member of this committee, 

and Representative Speier for their work on this resolution and 

this issue. 

Finally, I want to thank the Ranking Member, Mr. Brady, for his 

commitment to work on this issue in a bipartisan—in a strongly bipartisan way. 


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I also would like to thank Bradley Byrne for his work in serving 

as an ex officio member on this committee and also Susan Brooks, 

Chairman of Ethics. All of us, working together, are prepared to 

move forward with this. 

And as I have said throughout this Committee’s comprehensive 

review, there is simply no place for sexual harassment in our society and especially in Congress. One case of sexual harassment is 

one case too many. 

I believe, as Members of Congress, we must hold ourselves to a 

higher standard, a standard that demonstrates that we are worthy 

of the trust placed in us by our constituents and the American people. No one should ever fear physical or psychological harm in any 

workplace, and we must ensure that the appropriate standards and 

rules apply to the congressional workplace to promote a safe and 

productive environment. 

There is really no place like the House of Representatives. It is 

a special place, and we want it to be such for anyone who works 

here. And the first step to ensuring a safe congressional workplace 

is requiring mandatory training and education for all Members, officers, employees, including interns, fellows, and detailees, of the 

House of Representatives, as well as the posting of rights and protections. H. Res. 630, these regulations that we are approving 

today, will accomplish that goal. 

I would now like to recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Brady, 

for the purpose of providing an opening statement if he wishes. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to support the regulations before the 

committee. As I have said before, training is an important step, but 

it is just a first step. There is more to do. I know our staff is working hard on bipartisan legislation to change the Congressional Accountability Act. 

Of course, none of these discussions would be possible if it wasn’t 

for the leadership of my colleague from California, Jackie Speier, 

who has been talking about these changes for years. 

And this truly has been a bipartisan effort. I know we are working with Representative Byrne from Alabama in developing the legislation, and I thank him as well. 

I hope we can consider the bipartisan proposal in early 2018 so 

that we can continue to make progress on changing the resolution 

process and the culture of our congressional workplace. 

Mr. Chairman, thank you again, and I yield back the balance of 

my time. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Brady. 

The gentleman yields back. 

Any other Member wish to be recognized for the purposes of an 

opening statement? 

I now recognize the gentleman from Maryland. 

Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much, and, Mr. 

Brady, thank you, also, for your leadership and for giving me this 

opportunity to speak as we adopt regulations to require annual 

anti-sexual-harassment and -discrimination training in Congress 

for both Members and staff. 

As the representatives of the people, we have a unique obligation 

to lead by establishing a culture of zero tolerance for this egregious 


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form of discrimination. Although the Speech or Debate Clause provides Members with broad immunity for legislative acts under the 

Constitution, it can never be interpreted as a license to harass or 

discriminate against our employees. We are not above the law, and 

it is important for Members and employees alike to understand our 

individual rights and responsibilities for the promotion of a healthy 

workplace environment. 

I am pleased that the regulations include the advice of outside 

experts, who have highlighted the importance of in-person, customized training, with specific workplace examples, to better foster 

a culture that rejects sexual harassment and discrimination. 

Though I can understand that certain district offices may have 

difficulty obtaining in-person training for their employees in a 

timely fashion, necessitating a limited exemption for employees 

whose duty station is not in D.C., it is my hope that the vast majority of Members will adhere to the spirit of these new requirements and seek out in-person, interactive training for all employees, regardless of whether they work for us in Washington or in our 

district offices. 

This is an important start, but mandating annual sexual harassment training is not sufficient. We must continue to examine and 

reform the dispute resolution processes and ensure that we build 

a system that promotes accountability, supports victims, and does 

not exacerbate existing power disparities among Members, supervisors, and staff. 

I am eager to continue working with my colleagues on the Committee, as well as Representative Speier, whose ME TOO Congress 

Act has offered a perfect starting point for crafting more important 

comprehensive reform legislation. I am confident that we can continue to work together in a continuing bipartisan way. 

Mr. Chairman, I thank you for your leadership and hope that we 

will indeed create model rules for the best workplaces in America. 

Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. 

The Chair will now recognize the gentlelady from Virginia, Mrs. 

Comstock, for the purpose of an opening statement. 

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I just wanted to thank you for the swiftness with which the Committee has worked on these guidelines, and the staff and all the 

work they have put into this. And having the climate survey included here also I think is important, because it is something we 

have talked about in a lot of the hearings that will help us assess 

the best way to do our training going forward. 

So I think it is important that we understand that this process 

will be adaptive and will be able to incorporate all kinds of good 

ideas that we get going forward. But I appreciate that we are putting this in place quickly now. And thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlelady yields back. 

I now call up and lay before the committee the resolution issuing 

regulations pursuant to H. Res. 630. 

Without objection, the first reading of the resolution is dispensed 

with, and the resolution is considered read and open for amendment at any point. 

[The resolution follows:] 


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The CHAIRMAN. Is there any debate? 

Are there any Members who want to offer an amendment to the 

resolution? 

If not, I move the Committee to adopt the resolution. The question is on the motion. 

All those in favor, signify by saying aye. 

Opposed, say nay. 

In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it, and the motion is 

agreed to. 

Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. 

For all the matters considered here today, I would ask unanimous consent that the staff be authorized to make technical and 

conforming changes if necessary. 

Without objection, so ordered. 

Without objection, the markup is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 12:36 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 

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