I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4674 

To amend the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to require Members 

of Congress to reimburse the Treasury for payments of awards and 

settlements under such Act which are made in connection with claims 

of sexual harassment committed by the Members, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 18, 2017 

Mrs. LOVE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on House Administration 

A BILL 

To amend the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to 

require Members of Congress to reimburse the Treasury 

for payments of awards and settlements under such Act 

which are made in connection with claims of sexual harassment committed by the Members, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop Taxpayers Obli5 gations to Perpetrators of Sexual Harassment Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REQUIRING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO REIM2 BURSE TREASURY FOR AMOUNTS PAID AS 

3 SETTLEMENTS AND AWARDS UNDER CON4 GRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1995 

5 IN CASES OF ACTS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT 

6 COMMITTED PERSONALLY BY MEMBERS. 

7 (a) MANDATING REIMBURSEMENT OF AMOUNTS

8 PAID.—Section 415 of the Congressional Accountability 

9 Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1415) is amended by adding at 

10 the end the following new subsection: 

11 ‘‘(d) REIMBURSEMENT BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

12 OF AMOUNTS PAID AS SETTLEMENTS AND AWARDS IN

13 CASES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If a payment is made from 

15 the account described in subsection (a) for an award 

16 or settlement in connection with an allegation of a 

17 violation of section 201(a) which consists of an act 

18 of sexual harassment committed personally by a 

19 Member of the House of Representatives or a Sen20 ator, the Member or Senator shall reimburse the ac21 count for the amount of the award or settlement, in 

22 accordance with procedures established by the Com23 mittee on House Administration of the House of 

24 Representatives (in the case of a Member of the 

25 House, including a Delegate or Resident Commis26 sioner to the Congress) or the Committee on Rules 


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1 and Administration of the Senate (in the case of a 

2 Senator). 

3 ‘‘(2) DEADLINE.—A Member shall reimburse 

4 the account described in subsection (a) for a pay5 ment described in paragraph (1) not later than 90 

6 days after the payment is made.’’. 

7 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

8 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to payments made 

9 on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

10 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION AGAINST USE OF MEMBERS’ REP11 RESENTATIONAL ALLOWANCE FOR PAY12 MENTS IN CONNECTION WITH ALLEGATIONS 

13 OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT. 

14 (a) PROHIBITION.—The Members’ Representational 

15 Allowance of a Member of the House of Representatives 

16 may not be used to pay awards, settlements, or other com17 pensation in connection with allegations of sexual harass18 ment by the Member or any individual whose compensa19 tion is paid from the Allowance. 

20 (b) EXERCISE OF RULEMAKING AUTHORITY.—Sub21 section (a) is enacted— 

22 (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of 

23 the House of Representatives, and as such it shall 

24 be considered as part of the rules of the House, and 


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1 shall supersede other rules only to the extent that it 

2 is inconsistent therewith; and 

3 (2) with full recognition of the constitutional 

4 right of the House to change such rules at any time, 

5 in the same manner, and to the same extent as in 

6 the case of any other rule of the House. 

Æ 


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