Title: Responsible Settlements for Victims and Taxpayers Act
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Responsible Settlements for Victims and Taxpayers Act
This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) to require Members of Congress to: (1) reimburse the Treasury for amounts paid as awards or settlements for violations of CAA rights and protections against acts of sexual harassment or sexual assault committed personally by Members of Congress, and (2) use their Thrift Savings Plan agency contributions as a source of reimbursement if this requirement has not been met within 180 days of payment of the award or settlement.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4690 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4690

   To amend the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to require 
   Members of Congress to reimburse the Treasury for amounts paid as 
awards and settlements under such Act in connection with violations of 
  such Act consisting of acts of sexual harassment or sexual assault 
              committed personally by Members of Congress.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 20, 2017

Mr. Olson (for himself and Ms. Stefanik) introduced the following bill; 
  which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in 
  addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 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 require 
   Members of Congress to reimburse the Treasury for amounts paid as 
awards and settlements under such Act in connection with violations of 
  such Act consisting of acts of sexual harassment or sexual assault 
              committed personally by Members of Congress.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Responsible Settlements for Victims 
and Taxpayers Act''.

SEC. 2. PERSONAL LIABILITY OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO REIMBURSE TREASURY 
              FOR AMOUNTS PAID AS SETTLEMENTS AND AWARDS UNDER 
              CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1995.

    (a) Mandating Reimbursement of Amounts Paid.--Section 415 of the 
Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1415) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Personal Liability of Members of Congress for Payment of 
Settlements and Awards.--
            ``(1) Reimbursement of amounts paid.--If a payment is made 
        from the account described in subsection (a) for an award or 
        settlement resulting from a violation of part A of title II 
        consisting of an act of sexual harassment or sexual assault 
        committed personally by a Member of the House of 
        Representatives or a Senator, the Member or Senator shall 
        reimburse the account for the amount of the award or 
        settlement.
            ``(2) Use of thrift savings plan agency contribution as 
        source of reimbursement.--If a Member or Senator has not met 
        the requirements of paragraph (1) with respect to an award or 
        settlement by the end of the expiration of the 180-day period 
        which begins on the date the award or settlement is paid, the 
        Secretary of the Treasury shall--
                    ``(A) withhold the agency contribution otherwise 
                payable under section 8432(c)(1)(A) of title 5, United 
                States Code, to such Member of Senator until an amount 
                is collected equal to the award or settlement (reduced 
                by any amount the Member or Senator has reimbursed); 
                and
                    ``(B) transfer to the account described in 
                subsection (a) such amount withheld under subparagraph 
                (A).
            ``(3) Consultation.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall 
        carry out paragraph (2) in consultation with the Executive 
        Director of the Thrift Savings Board and--
                    ``(A) the Chief Administrative Officer of the House 
                of Representatives, in the case of a Member of the 
                House of Representatives; or
                    ``(B) the Secretary of the Senate, in the case of a 
                Senator.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to payments made on or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
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