I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4396 

To amend the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to reform the procedures provided under such Act for the investigation and resolution of 

allegations that employing offices of the legislative branch have violated 

the rights and protections provided to their employees under such Act, 

including protections against sexual harassment, to require the updating 

of programs of sexual harassment prevention and response training in 

employment, to institute biennial employment discrimination climate surveys, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 15, 2017 

Ms. SPEIER (for herself, Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania, Ms. KUSTER of New 

Hampshire, Mr. POLIQUIN, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Mr. RASKIN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House 

Administration 

A BILL 

To amend the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to 

reform the procedures provided under such Act for the 

investigation and resolution of allegations that employing 

offices of the legislative branch have violated the rights 

and protections provided to their employees under such 

Act, including protections against sexual harassment, to 

require the updating of programs of sexual harassment 

prevention and response training in employment, to institute biennial employment discrimination climate surveys, 

and for other purposes. 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 4396 IH

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES IN ACT; TABLE OF 

4 CONTENTS. 

5 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

6 ‘‘Member and Employee Training and Oversight On Con7 gress Act’’ or the ‘‘ME TOO Congress Act’’. 

8 (b) REFERENCES IN ACT.—Except as otherwise ex9 pressly provided, whenever in this Act an amendment is 

10 expressed in terms of an amendment to or repeal of a sec11 tion or other provision, the reference shall be considered 

12 to be made to that section or other provision of the Con13 gressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1301 et 

14 seq.). 

15 (c) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 

16 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; references in Act; table of contents. 

TITLE I—REFORM OF PROCEDURES FOR INVESTIGATION AND 

RESOLUTION OF COMPLAINTS 

Sec. 101. Waiving counseling and mediation as prerequisite for filing of complaint or civil action. 

Sec. 102. Separation of investigative and adjudicative roles in hearings. 

Sec. 103. Victims’ Counsel. 

Sec. 104. Prohibiting imposition of nondisclosure agreements. 

Sec. 105. Availability of remote work assignment or paid leave of absence during pendency of procedures. 

Sec. 106. Electronic reporting system. 

Sec. 107. Requiring parties to be separated during mediation at request of employee. 

Sec. 108. Deadline for completion of hearings. 

Sec. 109. Clarification of authority of parties to reach agreements without approval of congressional committees. 

Sec. 110. Modification of rules on confidentiality of proceedings. 

TITLE II—IMPROVING TRAINING AND TRANSPARENCY 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 4396 IH

Sec. 201. Requirements for programs of sexual harassment prevention and response training in employment. 

Sec. 202. Personal liability of Members of Congress for payment of settlements 

and awards. 

Sec. 203. Reports on complaints and payments. 

Sec. 204. Employment discrimination climate surveys of Members and employees of Congress. 

TITLE III—MISCELLANEOUS REFORMS 

Sec. 301. Extension to unpaid staff of rights and protections against employment discrimination. 

Sec. 302. Application of whistleblower protection rules. 

Sec. 303. Renaming Office of Compliance as Office of Congressional Workplace 

Rights. 

TITLE IV—EFFECTIVE DATE 

Sec. 401. Effective date. 

1 TITLE I—REFORM OF PROCE2 DURES FOR INVESTIGATION 

3 AND RESOLUTION OF COM4 PLAINTS 

5 SEC. 101. WAIVING COUNSELING AND MEDIATION AS PRE6 REQUISITE FOR FILING OF COMPLAINT OR 

7 CIVIL ACTION. 

8 (a) WAIVING COUNSELING; PERMITTING INITIAL RE9 QUEST TO BE MADE ANONYMOUSLY.—The first sentence 

10 of section 402(a) (2 U.S.C. 1402(a)) is amended to read 

11 as follows: ‘‘A covered employee alleging a violation of law 

12 made applicable under part A of title II may, at the option 

13 of the covered employee, request counseling by the Office, 

14 and may make the request anonymously.’’. 

15 (b) WAIVING MEDIATION.—Section 403(a) (2 U.S.C. 

16 1403(a)) is amended to read as follows: 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 4396 IH

1 ‘‘(a) INITIATION.—In the case of a covered employee 

2 who alleged a violation of a law and who requested coun3 seling by the Office under section 402(a), not later than 

4 15 days after receipt by the employee of notice of the end 

5 of the counseling period under such section, the employee 

6 may, at the option of the employee, file a request for medi7 ation with the Office.’’. 

8 (c) TIME FOR ELECTION OF PROCEEDING; PERMIT9 TING INITIAL ELECTION TO BE MADE ANONYMOUSLY.— 

10 Section 404 (2 U.S.C. 1404) is amended to read as fol11 lows: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 404. ELECTION OF PROCEEDING. 

13 ‘‘(a) ELECTION.—Not later than the applicable dead14 line under subsection (b), a covered employee alleging a 

15 violation of a law made applicable under part A of title 

16 II may either— 

17 ‘‘(1) file a complaint with the Office in accord18 ance with section 405; or 

19 ‘‘(2) file a civil action in accordance with sec20 tion 408 in the United States district court for the 

21 district in which the employee is employed or for the 

22 District of Columbia. 

23 ‘‘(b) APPLICABLE DEADLINE.—The applicable dead24 line under this subsection is— 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 4396 IH

1 ‘‘(1) in the case of a covered employee who re2 quests counseling by the Office under section 402 

3 but who does not request mediation under section 

4 403, not later than 90 days after the end of the pe5 riod of counseling under section 402; 

6 ‘‘(2) in the case of a covered employee who re7 quests counseling by the Office under section 402 

8 and mediation under section 403, not later than 90 

9 days after the end of the period of mediation under 

10 section 403; or 

11 ‘‘(3) in the case of any other covered employee, 

12 not later than 180 days after the date of the alleged 

13 violation.’’. 

14 (d) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 405(a) (2 

15 U.S.C. 1405(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘, upon the com16 pletion of mediation under section 403,’’. 

17 SEC. 102. SEPARATION OF INVESTIGATIVE AND ADJUDICA18 TIVE ROLES IN HEARINGS. 

19 (a) USE OF SEPARATE INVESTIGATIVE AUTHOR20 ITY.—Section 405(e) (2 U.S.C. 1405(e)) is amended to 

21 read as follows: 

22 ‘‘(e) INVESTIGATIVE AUTHORITY.— 

23 ‘‘(1) USE OF SEPARATE AUTHORITY TO CON24 DUCT INVESTIGATIONS.—The investigation of any 

25 complaint filed under this section shall be carried 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 4396 IH

1 out by an investigative authority assigned by the 

2 Board, who may be an employee of the Office or a 

3 contractor designated by the Office for purposes of 

4 carrying out investigations under this section, except 

5 that the hearing officer appointed to consider the 

6 complaint may not serve as the investigative author7 ity with respect to the complaint. 

8 ‘‘(2) TYPES OF INVESTIGATIONS AUTHOR9 IZED.— 

10 ‘‘(A) INITIAL STATEMENT.—The investiga11 tive authority assigned to investigate a com12 plaint may require the covered employee who 

13 filed the complaint to provide an initial state14 ment which includes the following information: 

15 ‘‘(i) A statement of each specific harm 

16 relating to the complaint that the employee 

17 has suffered and the date on which each 

18 harm occurred. 

19 ‘‘(ii) For each such harm, a statement 

20 specifying the act, policy or practice which 

21 is alleged to be in violation of part A of 

22 title II. 

23 ‘‘(iii) For each act, policy, or practice 

24 alleged to have harmed the covered em25 ployee, a statement of the facts which led 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 4396 IH

1 the person claiming to be aggrieved to be2 lieve that the act, policy or practice is in 

3 violation of part A of title II. 

4 ‘‘(B) FACT-FINDING CONFERENCE WITH

5 PARTIES TO THE COMPLAINT.—As part of its 

6 investigation of a complaint, the investigative 

7 authority may require a fact-finding conference 

8 with the parties in order to define the issues 

9 arising from the complaint, to determine which 

10 elements of the complaint are undisputed, to re11 solve those issues that can be resolved, and to 

12 ascertain whether there is a basis for negotiated 

13 settlement of the complaint. At the request of 

14 the covered employee involved, the investigative 

15 authority shall ensure that the parties are sepa16 rated during this conference. 

17 ‘‘(C) OTHER FORMS OF INVESTIGATION.— 

18 In addition to the types of investigative activity 

19 described in subparagraphs (A) and (B), the in20 vestigative authority may carry out such other 

21 types of investigative activity with respect to a 

22 complaint as it considers appropriate, including 

23 prehearing discovery and the issuance of sub24 poenas in accordance with subsection (f).’’. 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 4396 IH

1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS RELATING TO SUB2 POENA AUTHORITY.—Section 405(f) (2 U.S.C. 1405(f)) 

3 is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘a hearing of5 ficer may issue subpoenas’’ and inserting ‘‘an inves6 tigative authority under subsection (e) may issue 

7 subpoenas’’; and 

8 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘in connection 

9 with a proceeding before a hearing officer’’ and in10 serting ‘‘in connection with a complaint under this 

11 section’’. 

12 SEC. 103. VICTIMS’ COUNSEL. 

13 (a) AVAILABILITY OF VICTIMS’ COUNSEL.—Title IV 

14 (2 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.) is amended by inserting after sec15 tion 407 the following new section: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 407A. VICTIMS’ COUNSEL. 

17 ‘‘(a) AVAILABILITY OF COUNSEL.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A covered employee who al19 leges a violation of part A of title II shall be offered 

20 the option of receiving assistance from a Victims’ 

21 Counsel under this section upon— 

22 ‘‘(A) the employee’s request for counseling 

23 by the Office under section 402, in the case of 

24 a covered employee who makes such a request; 

25 or 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 4396 IH

1 ‘‘(B) the filing by the employee of a com2 plaint with the Office in accordance with sec3 tion 405, in the case of a covered employee who 

4 does not make a request for counseling by the 

5 Office under section 402. 

6 ‘‘(2) TIMING OF PROVIDING OPTION TO RE7 CEIVE ASSISTANCE.—Prior to requesting any state8 ment from an individual described in paragraph (1) 

9 regarding the allegation made by the individual (in10 cluding an individual who makes the allegation 

11 anonymously in requesting counseling under section 

12 402), or conducting any other form of investigation 

13 of the allegation, the Office shall notify the indi14 vidual of the availability of assistance from a Vic15 tims’ Counsel under this section. 

16 ‘‘(3) CONTINUING AVAILABILITY OF ASSIST17 ANCE.—The Office shall inform an individual de18 scribed in paragraph (1) that if the individual de19 clines the assistance of a Victims’ Counsel, in whole 

20 or in part, at the time the assistance is offered 

21 under paragraph (1), the individual may subse22 quently request such assistance and such assistance 

23 will be provided to the individual. 

24 ‘‘(b) DESIGNATION.— 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 4396 IH

1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall designate 

2 legal counsel, to be known as ‘Victims’ Counsel’, 

3 to— 

4 ‘‘(A) provide legal assistance in accordance 

5 with this section to a covered employee who al6 leges a violation of part A of title II; and 

7 ‘‘(B) provide counseling by the Office 

8 under section 402 for a covered employee who 

9 alleges a violation of part A of title II and who 

10 requests counseling under such section. 

11 ‘‘(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—An individual may not 

12 be designated as a Victims’ Counsel under this sec13 tion unless the individual— 

14 ‘‘(A) is an attorney who is a member of 

15 the bar of a Federal court or of the highest 

16 court of a State; and 

17 ‘‘(B) is certified as competent to be des18 ignated as a Victims’ Counsel by the Executive 

19 Director. 

20 ‘‘(3) TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.—The Office 

21 shall— 

22 ‘‘(A) establish the baseline training re23 quirements for a Victims’ Counsel; and 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 4396 IH

1 ‘‘(B) develop a policy to standardize the 

2 time period within which a Victims’ Counsel re3 ceives training. 

4 ‘‘(4) AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE IN

5 ANY JURISDICTION.—Notwithstanding any law re6 garding the licensure of attorneys, a Victims’ Coun7 sel who is authorized to provide assistance under 

8 this section is authorized to provide that assistance 

9 in any jurisdiction, subject to such regulations as 

10 may be prescribed by the Office. 

11 ‘‘(c) TYPES OF LEGAL ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.— 

12 The types of legal assistance that a Victims’ Counsel may 

13 provide to a covered employee who alleges a violation of 

14 part A of title II include the following: 

15 ‘‘(1) Legal consultation regarding potential li16 ability, including criminal liability, arising from or in 

17 relation to the circumstances surrounding the al18 leged violation and the covered employee’s rights 

19 under this Act. 

20 ‘‘(2) Legal consultation regarding the respon21 sibilities and support provided to the covered em22 ployee under this Act. 

23 ‘‘(3) Legal consultation regarding the potential 

24 for civil litigation against other parties (other than 

25 the United States) arising from the alleged violation. 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 4396 IH

1 ‘‘(4) Legal consultation regarding procedures 

2 under this Act and procedures applicable to civil ac3 tions arising from the alleged violation, including— 

4 ‘‘(A) the roles and responsibilities of the 

5 Office, the House Employment Counsel, and 

6 similar authorities; 

7 ‘‘(B) any proceedings conducted under this 

8 Act or pursuant to a civil action which the cov9 ered employee may observe; 

10 ‘‘(C) the authority of a hearing officer to 

11 compel cooperation and testimony under pro12 ceedings held under section 405; and 

13 ‘‘(D) the covered employee’s duties relating 

14 to such proceedings, including the responsibility 

15 to testify. 

16 ‘‘(5) Representing the covered employee at any 

17 proceedings in connection with the complaint, other 

18 than a civil action under section 406. 

19 ‘‘(6) Legal consultation and assistance— 

20 ‘‘(A) in personal civil legal matters related 

21 to the covered employee’s complaint (other than 

22 a civil action under section 406); 

23 ‘‘(B) in any proceedings of the Office, the 

24 Committee on Ethics of the House of Rep25 resentatives (including the Office of CongresVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:29 Nov 20, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4396.IH H4396

daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 4396 IH

1 sional Ethics), the Select Committee on Ethics 

2 of the Senate, or any other administrative or 

3 judicial body related to the covered employee’s 

4 complaint; 

5 ‘‘(C) in understanding the availability of, 

6 and obtaining any protections offered by, pro7 tecting or restraining orders; and 

8 ‘‘(D) in understanding the eligibility and 

9 requirements for obtaining any employment or 

10 other benefits under State and Federal victims’ 

11 compensation programs. 

12 ‘‘(d) NATURE OF RELATIONSHIP.—The relationship 

13 between a Victims’ Counsel and a covered employee in the 

14 provision of legal advice and assistance under this section 

15 shall be the relationship between an attorney and client’’. 

16 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO RE17 SPONSIBILITY OF VICTIMS’ COUNSEL TO CARRY OUT

18 COUNSELING.—Section 402 (2 U.S.C. 1402) is amended 

19 by adding at the end the following new subsection: 

20 ‘‘(d) ROLE OF VICTIMS’ COUNSEL.—If a covered em21 ployee who requests counseling under this section also re22 quested the assistance of a Victims’ Counsel under section 

23 407A, the Victims’ Counsel assigned to provide assistance 

24 to the employee shall carry out the counseling for the Of25 fice under this section.’’. 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 4396 IH

1 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

2 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

3 407 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 407A. Victims’ Counsel.’’. 

4 SEC. 104. PROHIBITING IMPOSITION OF NONDISCLOSURE 

5 AGREEMENTS. 

6 Section 401 (2 U.S.C. 1401) is amended— 

7 (1) by striking ‘‘Except as otherwise provided’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘(a) PROCEDURES AVAILABLE.—Ex9 cept as otherwise provided’’; and 

10 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub11 section: 

12 ‘‘(b) PROHIBITING IMPOSITION OF NONDISCLOSURE

13 AGREEMENTS AS PREREQUISITE FOR PROCEDURES.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A nondisclosure agreement 

15 may not be imposed on any party as a condition of 

16 the initiation of any of the procedures available 

17 under this title for consideration of a violation of 

18 part A of title II unless the duration of the agree19 ment is for a finite period of time agreed to by all 

20 of the parties involved, including the covered em21 ployee and the employing office. 

22 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTIONS.—Nothing in paragraph (1) 

23 may be construed to prohibit the parties to any pro24 cedure available under this title from entering into— 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 4396 IH

1 ‘‘(A) a nondisclosure agreement agreed to 

2 by all of the parties involved regarding the con3 tents of any mediation conducted under section 

4 403, so long as the agreement does not apply 

5 after the conclusion of the mediation; or 

6 ‘‘(B) a nondisclosure agreement agreed to 

7 by all of the parties involved as part of the set8 tlement of any complaint filed with the Office 

9 in accordance with section 405 or any civil ac10 tion initiated in accordance with section 408.’’. 

11 SEC. 105. AVAILABILITY OF REMOTE WORK ASSIGNMENT 

12 OR PAID LEAVE OF ABSENCE DURING PEND13 ENCY OF PROCEDURES. 

14 Section 401 (2 U.S.C. 1401), as amended by section 

15 104, is further amended by adding at the end the following 

16 new subsection: 

17 ‘‘(c) AVAILABILITY OF REMOTE WORK ASSIGNMENT

18 OR PAID LEAVE OF ABSENCE DURING PENDENCY OF

19 PROCEDURES.— 

20 ‘‘(1) REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPLOYING OF21 FICES.— 

22 ‘‘(A) REMOTE WORK ASSIGNMENT.—At the 

23 request of a covered employee who alleges a vio24 lation of part A of title II by the covered em25 ployee’s employing office, during the pendency 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 4396 IH

1 of any of the procedures available under this 

2 title for consideration of the violation, the em3 ploying office shall permit the covered employee 

4 to carry out the employee’s responsibilities from 

5 a remote location instead of from the location 

6 of the employing office. 

7 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION FOR WORK ASSIGNMENTS

8 REQUIRED TO BE CARRIED OUT ONSITE.—If, in 

9 the determination of the covered employee’s em10 ploying office, a covered employee who makes a 

11 request under this paragraph cannot carry out 

12 the employee’s responsibilities from a remote lo13 cation, the employing office shall grant paid 

14 leave of absence to a covered employee during 

15 the pendency of the procedures available under 

16 this title for the covered employee. 

17 ‘‘(2) EXCLUSION FROM CAP ON NUMBER OF

18 EMPLOYEES OF OFFICE OF MEMBER OR COMMITTEE

19 OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.—If the office 

20 of a Member or committee of the House of Rep21 resentatives grants a covered employee of such office 

22 a paid leave of absence under paragraph (1), during 

23 the period in which the employee is on the paid leave 

24 of absence, the employee shall not be counted among 

25 the number of employees of the office— 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
17 

•HR 4396 IH

1 ‘‘(A) in the case of the office of a Member 

2 of the House, for purposes of section 104(a) of 

3 the House of Representatives Administrative 

4 Reform Technical Corrections Act (2 U.S.C. 

5 5321(a)); or 

6 ‘‘(B) in the case of the office of a com7 mittee of the House, for purposes of any rule 

8 or regulation of the House which governs the 

9 number of employees the committee may ap10 point. 

11 ‘‘(3) EXCEPTION FOR ARRANGEMENTS SUBJECT

12 TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS.—Para13 graph (1) does not apply to the extent that it is in14 consistent with the terms and conditions of any col15 lective bargaining agreement which is in effect with 

16 respect to an employing office.’’. 

17 SEC. 106. ELECTRONIC REPORTING SYSTEM. 

18 Section 401 (2 U.S.C. 1401), as amended by section 

19 104 and section 105, is further amended by adding at the 

20 end the following new subsection: 

21 ‘‘(d) USE OF ELECTRONIC REPORTING SYSTEM.— 

22 The Office shall establish and operate an electronic report23 ing system through which a covered employee may initiate 

24 a proceeding under this title, and which will keep an elecVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:29 Nov 20, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4396.IH H4396

daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
18 

•HR 4396 IH

1 tronic record of the date and time at which the proceeding 

2 is initiated.’’. 

3 SEC. 107. REQUIRING PARTIES TO BE SEPARATED DURING 

4 MEDIATION AT REQUEST OF EMPLOYEE. 

5 Section 403(b)(2) (2 U.S.C. 1403(b)(2)) is amended 

6 by striking ‘‘meetings with the parties separately or joint7 ly’’ and inserting ‘‘meetings with the parties during which, 

8 at the request of the covered employee, the parties shall 

9 be separated,’’. 

10 SEC. 108. DEADLINE FOR COMPLETION OF HEARINGS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 405(g) (2 U.S.C. 

12 1405(g)) is amended by striking ‘‘90 days after the con13 clusion of the hearing’’ and inserting ‘‘the earlier of 90 

14 days after the conclusion of the hearing or 180 days after 

15 the filing of the complaint under subsection (a)’’. 

16 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

17 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to complaints filed 

18 under section 405 of the Congressional Accountability Act 

19 (2 U.S.C. 1405) on or after the date of the enactment 

20 of this Act. 

21 SEC. 109. CLARIFICATION OF AUTHORITY OF PARTIES TO 

22 REACH AGREEMENTS WITHOUT APPROVAL 

23 OF CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 414 (2 U.S.C. 1414) is 

25 amended— 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
19 

•HR 4396 IH

1 (1) by striking ‘‘Any settlement’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘(a) CRITERIA FOR SETTLEMENT.—Any settle3 ment’’; and 

4 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub5 section: 

6 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITY OF PARTIES TO REACH AGREE7 MENTS WITHOUT SPECIFIC APPROVAL OF COMMIT8 TEES.—Any counsel representing an employing office in 

9 any proceeding referred to in subsection (a) has the au10 thority to negotiate the terms and conditions of any settle11 ment of any such proceeding, including making the final 

12 determination of any amount paid to any party, without 

13 the approval of any committee of Congress.’’. 

14 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO AU15 THORITY OF COMMITTEES TO DETERMINE RANGE OF AP16 PROPRIATE SETTLEMENT AMOUNTS.—Section 414(a) (2 

17 U.S.C. 1414(a)), as amended by subsection (a), is amend18 ed by striking the period at the end and inserting the fol19 lowing: ‘‘, including rules setting forth a range of appro20 priate settlement amounts for various types of violations 

21 of this Act or any amendment made by this Act.’’. 

22 SEC. 110. MODIFICATION OF RULES ON CONFIDENTIALITY 

23 OF PROCEEDINGS. 

24 (a) COUNSELING.—Section 416(a) (2 U.S.C. 

25 1416(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘All counseling’’ and inVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:29 Nov 20, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4396.IH H4396

daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
20 

•HR 4396 IH

1 serting ‘‘At the request of the covered employee who re2 quests counseling, all counseling’’. 

3 (b) MEDIATION.—Section 416(b) (2 U.S.C. 1416(b)) 

4 is amended by striking ‘‘All mediation’’ and inserting ‘‘All 

5 information discussed or disclosed in the course of any me6 diation’’. 

7 TITLE II—IMPROVING TRAINING 

8 AND TRANSPARENCY 

9 SEC. 201. REQUIREMENTS FOR PROGRAMS OF SEXUAL 

10 HARASSMENT PREVENTION AND RESPONSE 

11 TRAINING IN EMPLOYMENT. 

12 (a) REQUIREMENTS FOR PROGRAMS.—Section 301 

13 (2 U.S.C. 1381) is amended by adding at the end the fol14 lowing new subsection: 

15 ‘‘(l) SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PROGRAMS OF

16 SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION AND RESPONSE

17 TRAINING IN EMPLOYMENT.— 

18 ‘‘(1) ELEMENTS OF PROGRAM.—The Office 

19 shall include among the programs carried out under 

20 subsection (h) a program of sexual harassment pre21 vention and response training in employment which 

22 provides at least one hour of training and which in23 cludes the following elements: 

24 ‘‘(A) Practical examples, derived from situ25 ations easily recognizable to employees of the 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
21 

•HR 4396 IH

1 employing offices involved, which are aimed at 

2 instructing supervisors in the prevention of har3 assment, discrimination, and retaliation, and at 

4 instructing employees in how to recognize situa5 tions of harassment. 

6 ‘‘(B) Information regarding the rights of 

7 employees, the options for reporting complaints, 

8 and an overview of the dispute resolution proc9 ess. 

10 ‘‘(C) Training regarding bystander inter11 vention. 

12 ‘‘(D) An overview of the consequences for 

13 perpetrating sexual harassment. 

14 ‘‘(E) Information regarding anti-retaliation 

15 policies for witnesses to or individuals who ex16 perience sexual harassment and come forward 

17 to report it. 

18 ‘‘(F) Interactive methods of instruction 

19 which apply adult learning methodology. 

20 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR HEADS OF

21 OFFICES AND SENIOR STAFF.— 

22 ‘‘(A) INFORMATION DESCRIBED.—In addi23 tion to the program described in paragraph (1), 

24 the Office shall provide specific instruction to 

25 the heads of employing offices (including MemVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:29 Nov 20, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4396.IH H4396

daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
22 

•HR 4396 IH

1 bers of Congress) and to the senior staff of em2 ploying offices on the following issues relating 

3 to sexual harassment: 

4 ‘‘(i) The steps such an individual 

5 should take upon becoming aware of an in6 cident of sexual harassment involving an 

7 employee of the employing office. 

8 ‘‘(ii) The role of the Office in inves9 tigating and responding to incidents of sex10 ual harassment. 

11 ‘‘(iii) The assistance such an indi12 vidual may provide to an employee of the 

13 employing office who wishes to report an 

14 alleged incident of sexual harassment to 

15 the Office for action under title IV, includ16 ing informing the employee of the employ17 ee’s rights and protections under such 

18 title, the employee’s options for reporting 

19 the incident, and an overview of the proce20 dures applicable under such title. 

21 ‘‘(iv) The potential liability (including 

22 financial liability) which may arise from 

23 such an incident of sexual harassment, in24 cluding from a determination that the fail25 ure of the employing office to respond apVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:29 Nov 20, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4396.IH H4396

daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
23 

•HR 4396 IH

1 propriately to such an incident is evidence 

2 of a hostile work environment in the em3 ploying office. 

4 ‘‘(B) SENIOR STAFF DEFINED.—In this 

5 paragraph, the term ‘senior staff’ means any 

6 individual who is required to file a report under 

7 title I of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 

8 (5 U.S.C. App. 101 et seq.). 

9 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the pro10 gram described in paragraph (1), the Office shall 

11 consult with Workplaces Respond to Domestic and 

12 Sexual Violence: A National Resource Center (also 

13 known as ‘Workplaces Respond’), the nonprofit non14 governmental entity described in section 41501 of 

15 the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 

16 12501). 

17 ‘‘(4) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this sub18 section, ‘sexual harassment’ means any conduct di19 rected at an individual which consists of unwelcome 

20 sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, any 

21 other conduct of a sexual nature, or conduct based 

22 on the individual’s sex if such conduct has the pur23 pose or effect of interfering with the individual’s 

24 work performance or creating an intimidating, hos25 tile, or offensive working environment, or if submisVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:29 Nov 20, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4396.IH H4396

daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
24 

•HR 4396 IH

1 sion to or rejection of such conduct by the individual 

2 is used as the basis for employment decisions affect3 ing the individual, or if submission by the individual 

4 to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly 

5 a term or condition of the individual’s employment.’’. 

6 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

7 subsection (a) shall take effect 180 days after the date 

8 of the enactment of this Act. 

9 SEC. 202. PERSONAL LIABILITY OF MEMBERS OF CON10 GRESS FOR PAYMENT OF SETTLEMENTS AND 

11 AWARDS. 

12 Section 415 (2 U.S.C. 1415) is amended by adding 

13 at the end the following new subsection: 

14 ‘‘(d) PERSONAL LIABILITY OF MEMBERS OF CON15 GRESS FOR PAYMENT OF SETTLEMENTS AND AWARDS.— 

16 If a payment is made from the account described in sub17 section (a) for an award or settlement resulting from a 

18 violation of part A of title II which was committed person19 ally by a Member of Congress, the Member who committed 

20 the violation shall reimburse the account for the amount 

21 of the award or settlement.’’. 

22 SEC. 203. REPORTS ON COMPLAINTS AND PAYMENTS. 

23 (a) REQUIRING SUBMISSION AND PUBLICATION OF

24 REPORT.—Section 301(h) (2 U.S.C. 1381(h)) is amend25 ed— 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
25 

•HR 4396 IH

1 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 

2 (2); 

3 (2) by striking the period at the end of para4 graph (3) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

5 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

6 paragraph: 

7 ‘‘(4) in addition to compiling and publishing the 

8 statistics described in paragraph (3), not later than 

9 60 days after the end of each calendar year, submit 

10 to Congress and publish on the Office’s public 

11 website a report identifying each employing office 

12 with respect to which an award or settlement was 

13 paid during the previous year as the result of an al14 legation made of a violation of part A of title II, the 

15 number of such allegations made against the em16 ploying office, and the amount of the award or set17 tlement, except that such report may not disclose the 

18 identity of an individual who made such an allega19 tion at any time.’’. 

20 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

21 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to 2017 and each 

22 succeeding year. 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
26 

•HR 4396 IH

1 SEC. 204. EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION CLIMATE SUR2 VEYS OF MEMBERS AND EMPLOYEES OF CON3 GRESS. 

4 (a) REQUIRING SURVEYS.—Title III (2 U.S.C. 1381 

5 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following 

6 new section: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 307. EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION CLIMATE SUR8 VEYS OF MEMBERS AND EMPLOYEES OF CON9 GRESS. 

10 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT TO CONDUCT SURVEYS.—Not 

11 later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 

12 the ME TOO Congress Act, and every 2 years thereafter, 

13 the Office shall conduct a survey of Members of Congress 

14 and congressional staff regarding employment discrimina15 tion in congressional employment, including a survey of 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) The prevalence of violations of part A of 

18 title II by offices of the House of Representatives 

19 and the Senate. 

20 ‘‘(2) The extent to which such violations arise 

21 from discrimination on the basis of sex, race, na22 tional origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, dis23 ability, and other demographic characteristics. 

24 ‘‘(3) The existence of a hostile work environ25 ment in offices of Congress. 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
27 

•HR 4396 IH

1 ‘‘(4) Whether congressional staff are able to ef2 fectively exercise the rights and protections provided 

3 under this Act, including the effectiveness of the 

4 procedures applicable under this Act for inves5 tigating and punishing violations of part A of title 

6 II. 

7 ‘‘(b) SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SURVEYS OF

8 SEXUAL HARASSMENT.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In each survey conducted 

10 under this section, the Office shall survey respond11 ents regarding the prevalence of and attitudes re12 garding sexual harassment in congressional employ13 ment, including collecting information regarding spe14 cific incidents of harassment and the context in 

15 which such incidents occurred. 

16 ‘‘(2) COMPILATION OF INFORMATION BY VAR17 IOUS CATEGORIES.—The Office shall compile infor18 mation from the survey on the basis of various cat19 egories of demographic characteristics, including 

20 race, sexual orientation, and age, so that the survey 

21 will report on the rates of incidents of sexual harass22 ment affecting each such category. 

23 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATION; TECHNICAL ASSIST24 ANCE.—The Office shall develop the survey regard25 ing sexual harassment in consultation with offices of 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
28 

•HR 4396 IH

1 the executive branch which currently conduct similar 

2 surveys of their employees, including the Sexual As3 sault Prevention and Response Office of the Depart4 ment of Defense, the Office of Violence Against 

5 Women of the Department of Justice, the Merit Sys6 tems Protection Board. Additionally, in developing 

7 the survey, the Office shall enter into agreement to 

8 receive technical assistance from Workplaces Re9 spond to Domestic and Sexual Violence: A National 

10 Resource Center (also known as ‘Workplaces Re11 spond’), the nonprofit nongovernmental entity de12 scribed in section 41501 of the Violence Against 

13 Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12501). 

14 ‘‘(c) METHODOLOGY.—The Office shall conduct each 

15 survey under this section in accordance with the following: 

16 ‘‘(1) All responses to all portions of the survey 

17 shall be anonymous and confidential, and each re18 spondent shall be told throughout the survey that all 

19 responses shall be anonymous and confidential. 

20 ‘‘(2) The Office shall design the survey so that 

21 it will take no more than 15 minutes to complete, 

22 and so that it may be taken online through the use 

23 of both stationary communication devices (such as 

24 desktop computers) and portable communication de25 vices (such as cell phones and tablets). 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
29 

•HR 4396 IH

1 ‘‘(3) The Office shall include in the survey a list 

2 of resources available to respondents who wish to get 

3 more information about employment discrimination 

4 in congressional employment, including the services 

5 the Office provides to individuals who allege viola6 tions of part A of title II. 

7 ‘‘(4) Subject to regulations promulgated by the 

8 Committee on House Administration of the House of 

9 Representatives (in the case of a survey taken by a 

10 Member or employee of the House) or the Com11 mittee on Rules and Administration of the Senate 

12 (in the case of a survey taken by a Senator or em13 ployee of the Senate), the Office may offer a de 

14 minimis payment to an individual as an incentive to 

15 complete the survey.’’. 

16 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

17 is amended by adding at the end of the items relating to 

18 title III the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 307. Employment discrimination climate surveys of Members and employees of Congress.’’. 

19 TITLE III—MISCELLANEOUS 

20 REFORMS 

21 SEC. 301. EXTENSION TO UNPAID STAFF OF RIGHTS AND 

22 PROTECTIONS AGAINST EMPLOYMENT DIS23 CRIMINATION. 

24 Section 201 (2 U.S.C. 1311) is amended— 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
30 

•HR 4396 IH

1 (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub2 section (e); and 

3 (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol4 lowing new subsection: 

5 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION TO UNPAID STAFF.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subsections (a) and (b) 

7 shall apply with respect to any staff of an employing 

8 office who carry out official duties of the employing 

9 office but who are not paid by the employing office 

10 for carrying out such duties, including an intern (in11 cluding an applicant for an internship and a former 

12 intern), an individual detailed to an employing office, 

13 and an individual participating in a fellowship pro14 gram, in the same manner and to the same extent 

15 as such subsections apply with respect to an em16 ployee. 

17 ‘‘(2) INTERN DEFINED.—The term ‘intern’ 

18 means an individual who performs uncompensated 

19 voluntary service for an employing office to earn 

20 credit awarded by an educational institution or to 

21 learn a trade or occupation, and includes any indi22 vidual participating in a page program operated by 

23 any House of Congress.’’. 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
31 

•HR 4396 IH

1 SEC. 302. APPLICATION OF WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION 

2 RULES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part A of title II (2 U.S.C. 1311 

4 et seq.) is amended— 

5 (1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘FAIR LABOR

6 STANDARDS,’’ and all that follows and inserting 

7 ‘‘AND OTHER PROTECTIONS AND BENEFITS’’; 

8 (2) by redesignating section 207 as section 208; 

9 and 

10 (3) by inserting after section 206 the following 

11 new section: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 207. RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS UNDER WHISTLE13 BLOWER PROTECTION RULES. 

14 ‘‘(a) RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS DESCRIBED.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—No employing office may 

16 take or fail to take, or threaten to take or fail to 

17 take, a personnel action (within the meaning of 

18 chapter 23 of title 5, United States Code) with re19 spect to any covered employee or applicant for em20 ployment because of— 

21 ‘‘(A) any disclosure of information by a 

22 covered employee or applicant which the em23 ployee or applicant reasonably believes evi24 dences— 

25 ‘‘(i) a violation of any law, rule, or 

26 regulation, or 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
32 

•HR 4396 IH

1 ‘‘(ii) gross mismanagement, a gross 

2 waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or 

3 a substantial and specific danger to public 

4 health or safety, 

5 if such disclosure is not specifically prohibited 

6 by law and if such information is not specifi7 cally required by Executive order or the rules of 

8 the House of Representatives or Senate to be 

9 kept secret in the interest of national defense or 

10 the conduct of foreign affairs; or 

11 ‘‘(B) any disclosure to the General Coun12 sel, or to the Inspector General of an executive 

13 agency or office of the legislative branch or an14 other employee designated by the head of the 

15 agency or office to receive such disclosures, of 

16 information which the employee or applicant 

17 reasonably believes evidences— 

18 ‘‘(i) a violation of any law, rule, or 

19 regulation, or 

20 ‘‘(ii) gross mismanagement, a gross 

21 waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or 

22 a substantial and specific danger to public 

23 health or safety. 

24 ‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sec25 tion and for purposes of applying the procedures esVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:29 Nov 20, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4396.IH H4396

daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
33 

•HR 4396 IH

1 tablished under title IV for the consideration of al2 leged violations of this section— 

3 ‘‘(A) the term ‘covered employee’ includes 

4 an employee of the Government Accountability 

5 Office or the Library of Congress; and 

6 ‘‘(B) the term ‘employing office’ includes 

7 the Government Accountability Office and the 

8 Library of Congress. 

9 ‘‘(b) REMEDY.—The remedy for a violation of sub10 section (a) shall be such remedy as would be appropriate 

11 if awarded under chapter 12 of title 5, United States 

12 Code, with respect to a prohibited personnel practice de13 scribed in section 2302(b)(8) of such title. 

14 ‘‘(c) REGULATIONS TO IMPLEMENT SECTION.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall, pursuant 

16 to section 304, issue regulations to implement this 

17 section. 

18 ‘‘(2) AGENCY REGULATIONS.—The regulations 

19 issued under paragraph (1) shall be the same as the 

20 substantive regulations promulgated by the Merit 

21 Systems Protection Board to implement chapters 12 

22 and 23 of title 5, United States Code, except to the 

23 extent that the Board of Directors may determine, 

24 for good cause shown and stated together with the 

25 regulation, that a modification of such regulations 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
34 

•HR 4396 IH

1 would be more effective for the implementation of 

2 the rights and protections under this section.’’. 

3 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 102(a) (2 

4 U.S.C. 1302(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing new paragraph: 

6 ‘‘(12) Section 2302(b)(8) of title 5, United 

7 States Code.’’. 

8 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

9 for part A of title II is amended— 

10 (1) in the item relating to part A, by striking 

11 ‘‘FAIR LABOR STANDARDS,’’ and all that 

12 follows and inserting ‘‘AND OTHER PROTEC13 TIONS AND BENEFITS’’; 

14 (2) by redesignating the item relating to section 

15 207 as relating to section 208; and 

16 (3) by inserting after the item relating to sec17 tion 206 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 207. Rights and protections under whistleblower protection rules.’’. 

18 SEC. 303. RENAMING OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE AS OFFICE 

19 OF CONGRESSIONAL WORKPLACE RIGHTS. 

20 (a) RENAMING.—Section 301 of the Congressional 

21 Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.) is 

22 amended— 

23 (1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘OFFICE OF

24 COMPLIANCE’’ and inserting ‘‘OFFICE OF CON25 GRESSIONAL WORKPLACE RIGHTS’’; and 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
35 

•HR 4396 IH

1 (2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘Office of 

2 Compliance’’ and inserting ‘‘Office of Congressional 

3 Workplace Rights’’. 

4 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS TO CONGRESSIONAL

5 ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1995.—The Congressional Ac6 countability Act of 1995 is amended as follows: 

7 (1) In section 101(1) (2 U.S.C. 1301(1)), by 

8 striking ‘‘Office of Compliance’’ and inserting ‘‘Of9 fice of Congressional Workplace Rights’’. 

10 (2) In section 101(2) (2 U.S.C. 1301(2)), by 

11 striking ‘‘Office of Compliance’’ and inserting ‘‘Of12 fice of Congressional Workplace Rights’’. 

13 (3) In section 101(3)(H) (2 U.S.C. 

14 1301(3)(H)), by striking ‘‘Office of Compliance’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘Office of Congressional Workplace 

16 Rights’’. 

17 (4) In section 101(9)(D) (2 U.S.C. 

18 1301(9)(D)), by striking ‘‘Office of Compliance’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘Office of Congressional Workplace 

20 Rights’’. 

21 (5) In section 101(10) (2 U.S.C. 1301(10)), by 

22 striking ‘‘Office of Compliance’’ and inserting ‘‘Of23 fice of Congressional Workplace Rights’’. 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
36 

•HR 4396 IH

1 (6) In section 101(11) (2 U.S.C. 1301(11)), by 

2 striking ‘‘Office of Compliance’’ and inserting ‘‘Of3 fice of Congressional Workplace Rights’’. 

4 (7) In section 101(12) (2 U.S.C. 1301(12)), by 

5 striking ‘‘Office of Compliance’’ and inserting ‘‘Of6 fice of Congressional Workplace Rights’’. 

7 (8) In section 210(a)(9) (2 U.S.C. 1331(a)(9)), 

8 by striking ‘‘Office of Compliance’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘Office of Congressional Workplace Rights’’. 

10 (9) In section 215(e)(1) (2 U.S.C. 1341(e)(1)), 

11 by striking ‘‘Office of Compliance’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘Office of Congressional Workplace Rights’’. 

13 (10) In section 220(e)(2)(G) (2 U.S.C. 

14 1351(e)(2)(G)), by striking ‘‘Office of Compliance’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘Office of Congressional Workplace 

16 Rights’’. 

17 (11) In the heading of title III, by striking 

18 ‘‘OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL WORK20 PLACE RIGHTS’’. 

21 (12) In section 304(c)(4) (2 U.S.C. 

22 1384(c)(4)), by striking ‘‘Office of Compliance’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘Office of Congressional Workplace 

24 Rights’’. 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS
37 

•HR 4396 IH

1 (13) In section 304(c)(5) (2 U.S.C. 

2 1384(c)(5)), by striking ‘‘Office of Compliance’’ and 

3 inserting ‘‘Office of Congressional Workplace 

4 Rights’’. 

5 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 

6 is amended— 

7 (1) by amending the item relating to the head8 ing of title III to read as follows: 

‘‘TITLE III—OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL WORKPLACE RIGHTS’’; 

9 and 

10 (2) by amending the item relating to section 

11 301 to read as follows: 

‘‘Sec. 301. Office of Congressional Workplace Rights.’’. 

12 (d) REFERENCES IN OTHER LAWS, RULES, AND

13 REGULATIONS.—Any reference to the Office of Compli14 ance in any law, rule, regulation, or other official paper 

15 in effect as of the effective date of this Act shall be consid16 ered to refer and apply to the Office of Congressional 

17 Workplace Rights. 

18 TITLE IV—EFFECTIVE DATE 

19 SEC. 401. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

20 Except as otherwise provided, this Act and the 

21 amendments made by this Act shall take effect upon the 

22 expiration of the 180-day period which begins on the date 

23 of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


daltland on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS