I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4458 

To amend the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to prohibit the 

use of public funds for the payment of a settlement or award under 

such Act in connection with a claim arising from sexual harassment 

committed by a Member of Congress, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 28, 2017 

Mr. MARINO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on 

Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to 

prohibit the use of public funds for the payment of 

a settlement or award under such Act in connection 

with a claim arising from sexual harassment committed 

by a Member of Congress, and for other purposes. 

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


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•HR 4458 IH

1 SECTION 1. PROHIBITING USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS FOR PAY2 MENT OF SETTLEMENTS AND AWARDS 

3 UNDER CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY 

4 ACT IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIMS IN5 VOLVING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. 

6 (a) PROHIBITION.—Section 415 of the Congressional 

7 Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1415) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘subsection 

9 (c)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsections (c) and (d)’’; and 

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

12 ‘‘(d) NO USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS FOR PAYMENTS OF

13 AWARDS AND SETTLEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH ACTS

14 OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMMITTED BY MEMBERS OF

15 CONGRESS.—No funds of the Treasury of the United 

16 States may be used for the payment of an award or settle17 ment under this Act in connection with a violation of sec18 tion 201(a)(1) if the violation consists of an act of sexual 

19 harassment committed personally by a Member of the 

20 House of Representatives (including a Delegate or Resi21 dent Commissioner to the Congress) or a Senator.’’. 

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

23 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to settlements and 

24 awards paid on or after the date of the enactment of this 

25 Act. 


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1 SEC. 2. MANDATORY CONSIDERATION BY ETHICS COMMIT2 TEES OF EXPULSION OF MEMBERS OF CON3 GRESS COMMITTING ACTS OF SEXUAL HAR4 ASSMENT UNDER CONGRESSIONAL AC5 COUNTABILITY ACT. 

6 (a) MANDATORY CONSIDERATION OF QUESTION OF

7 EXPULSION.—Title V of the Congressional Accountability 

8 Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) is amended— 

9 (1) by redesignating section 509 as section 510; 

10 and 

11 (2) by inserting after section 508 the following 

12 new section: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 509. MANDATORY CONSIDERATION BY ETHICS COM14 MITTEES OF QUESTION OF EXPULSION OF 

15 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS COMMITTING ACTS 

16 OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT. 

17 ‘‘If it is determined in any final decision entered 

18 under section 405(g) or 406(e), or in any decision in a 

19 civil action brought under section 408, that a violation of 

20 section 201(a)(1) occurred which consisted of an act of 

21 sexual harassment committed personally by a Member of 

22 the House of Representatives (including a Delegate or 

23 Resident Commissioner to the Congress) or a Senator, or 

24 if the payment of an award or settlement under this Act 

25 is ordered in connection with a violation of section 

26 201(a)(1) which consists of such an act— 


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1 ‘‘(1) in the case of an act committed by a Mem2 ber of the House, the Committee on Ethics of the 

3 House of Representatives shall conduct an investiga4 tion and issue a report on the question of whether 

5 the Member should be expelled from the House; or 

6 ‘‘(2) in the case of an act committed by a Sen7 ator, the Select Committee on Ethics of the Senate 

8 shall conduct an investigation and issue a report on 

9 the question of whether the Senator should be ex10 pelled from the Senate.’’. 

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

12 of such Act is amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating the item relating to section 

14 509 as relating to section 510; and 

15 (2) by inserting after the item relating to sec16 tion 508 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 509. Mandatory consideration by ethics committees of question of expulsion of Members of Congress committing acts of sexual harassment.’’. 

17 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

18 this section shall apply with respect to acts occurring be19 fore, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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