Title: CEASE Resolution
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Congressional Education About Sexual harassment Eradication Resolution or the CEASE Resolution
Amends Rule XXIII (Code of Official Conduct) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to require each Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, and employee of the House of Representatives to: (1) complete the Office of Compliance's program of sexual harassment prevention and response training in employment annually; and (2) certify to the House Committee on Ethics by January 31 of each year that the individual has completed the program in the previous year.
Requires each current Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, and employee to meet such training and certification requirement not later than the earlier of 120 days after the adoption of this resolution or December 31, 2018. Requires each new Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, and employee to certify completion of such program within 60 days after beginning service.
Considers failure to meet such requirement a violation of Rule XXIII.
Expresses the sense of the House that the Office of Compliance should:

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 604 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 604

  Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require each 
 Member, officer, and employee of the House to complete the program of 
sexual harassment prevention and response training in employment which 
    is offered by the Office of Compliance, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 2, 2017

 Ms. Speier (for herself, Mr. Costello of Pennsylvania, Mr. Poliquin, 
  and Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania) submitted the following resolution; 
 which was referred to the Committee on Ethics, and in addition to the 
  Committee on House Administration, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to require each 
 Member, officer, and employee of the House to complete the program of 
sexual harassment prevention and response training in employment which 
    is offered by the Office of Compliance, and for other purposes.

    Resolved,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Congressional Education About 
Sexual harassment Eradication Resolution'' or the ``CEASE Resolution''.

SEC. 2. MANDATORY COMPLETION BY ALL HOUSE MEMBERS AND STAFF OF OFFICE 
              OF COMPLIANCE PROGRAM OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION AND 
              RESPONSE TRAINING IN EMPLOYMENT.

    (a) Mandatory Completion and Certification.--Rule XXIII of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives is amended--
            (1) by redesignating clause 18 as clause 19; and
            (2) by inserting after clause 17 the following new clause:
    ``18.(a) Each Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, and 
employee of the House shall annually complete the program of sexual 
harassment prevention and response training in employment which is 
offered by the Office of Compliance.
    ``(b) Not later than January 31 of each year, each Member, 
Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, and employee of the House 
shall file a certification with the Committee on Ethics that the 
individual completed the program required under this clause in the 
previous year.
    ``(c) A new Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or 
employee of the House shall complete the program required under this 
clause, and shall file a certification with the Committee on Ethics 
that the individual completed the program, not later than 60 days after 
beginning service to the House.
    ``(d) For purposes of this clause, `sexual harassment' means any 
conduct directed at an individual which consists of unwelcome sexual 
advances, requests for sexual favors, any other conduct of a sexual 
nature, or conduct based on the individual's sex if such conduct has 
the purpose or effect of interfering with the individual's work 
performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working 
environment, or if submission to or rejection of such conduct by the 
individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting the 
individual, or if submission by the individual to such conduct is made 
either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of the individual's 
employment.''.
    (b) Requiring Immediate Completion of Program for Current Members 
and Staff.--
            (1) Requirement.--Each individual who as of the date of the 
        adoption of this resolution is serving as a Member, Delegate, 
        or Resident Commissioner of the House of Representatives, or 
        serving as an officer or employee of the House, shall--
                    (A) complete the program of sexual harassment 
                prevention and response training in employment which is 
                offered by the Office of Compliance; and
                    (B) file a certification with the Committee on 
                Ethics that the individual completed the program.
            (2) Violation of code of conduct.--The failure of an 
        individual to meet the requirement of paragraph (1) shall be 
        considered a violation of rule XXIII of the Rules of the House 
        of Representatives (relating to the Code of Conduct for 
        Members, officers, and employees of the House).
            (3) Deadline.--An individual shall meet the requirement of 
        paragraph (1) not later than the earlier of--
                    (A) 120 days after the date of the adoption of this 
                resolution; or
                    (B) December 31, 2018.
            (4) Definition.--For purposes of this subsection, the term 
        ``officer or employee of the House'' has the meaning given such 
        term in clause 19 of rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of 
        Representatives (as redesignated by subsection (a)).
    (c) Sense of the House Regarding Updates to Office of Compliance 
Program.--
            (1) Updates.--It is the sense of the House of 
        Representatives that, not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the adoption of this resolution, the Office of Compliance 
        should update the program of sexual harassment prevention and 
        response training in employment which is offered by the Office 
        to Members, officers, and employees of the House to include the 
        following:
                    (A) Practical examples, derived from situations 
                easily recognizable to employees of the House, which 
                are aimed at instructing supervisors in the prevention 
                of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, and at 
                instructing employees in how to recognize situations of 
                harassment.
                    (B) Information regarding the rights of employees, 
                the options for reporting complaints, and an overview 
                of the dispute resolution process.
                    (C) Training regarding bystander intervention.
                    (D) An overview of the consequences for 
                perpetrating sexual harassment.
                    (E) Information regarding anti-retaliation policies 
                for witnesses to or individuals who experience sexual 
                harassment and come forward to report it.
                    (F) Interactive methods of instruction which apply 
                adult learning methodology.
            (2) Consultation.--It is the sense of the House that the 
        Office of Compliance should consult with the Workplaces Respond 
        to Domestic and Sexual Violence: A National Resource Center 
        (also known as ``Workplaces Respond''), the nonprofit 
        nongovernmental entity described in section 41501 of the 
        Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12501), in 
        updating and implementing the program described in paragraph 
        (1).
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