House lawmakers introduce bill to expose secret settlements, end 'hush fund’
Barnini Chakraborty By Barnini Chakraborty | Fox News
In a push to end the secrecy surrounding sexual harassment inside the U.S. Capitol, House lawmakers on Wednesday introduced legislation to bar the use of taxpayer dollars to settle misconduct claims against members of Congress – and to name names… . .
“Enough is enough,” Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, one of the bill’s sponsors, said. “For far too long sexual predators have roamed freely through the halls of Congress . . . .
. . . A little-known law that has been on the books for more than a decade gives anyone accusing a federal lawmaker of sexual harassment the right to sue – but only if they consent to a drawn-out process that includes counseling and mediation.
The lawmaker’s identity, even if he or she is found guilty, remains confidential. And if there’s a settlement – and there have been more than 200 – it’s the American taxpayer that’s on the hook.
Recent revelations have detailed secret payouts of more than $17 million for harassment claims from what’s essentially a congressional hush fund. . .
. . . “I know American taxpayers all over the country were revolted when they heard about this [fund],” Florida Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis, another sponsor of the bill, said.
The bill would also prohibit the future use of taxpayer money to pay sexual harassment and assault claims against any member of Congress or their staff and would prohibit lawmakers from using their office budgets to mask payments.
“There is no way that the taxpayer should be deprived of knowing where their tax dollars are going,” DeSantis said.
The groundbreaking bill would also require any member of Congress who has ever been named in a sexual harassment or sexual assault settlement that’s been paid for by taxpayers to reimburse the U.S. Treasury with interest.
This year alone, the Treasury has paid nearly $1 million to settle sexual harassment and other complaints against members of Congress and their staff – in secret. . . .
