Kaine's bid for Senate harassment data rejected

Source: Politico




By ELANA SCHOR 12/18/2017 11:59 PM EST Updated 12/19/2017 12:18 AM EST

The secretive office that processes workplace misconduct complaints on Capitol Hill has declined Sen. Tim Kaine's request for data on sexual harassment claims filed in the upper chamber — data that Kaine had said he would make public.

The Virginia Democrat sought details Dec. 6 on the taxpayer-funded settlements that the Hill's Office of Compliance approved for Senate employers, adding that he would release the broad outlines of the data in the interest of transparency as Congress considers an overhaul of its own harassment system. The compliance office's Monday decision to decline his request is particularly notable given that the office provided the House Administration Committee details on taxpayer-funded settlements processed in that chamber one day after they were requested.

In a letter responding to Kaine's request, the compliance office's executive director said "confidentiality provisions" of the 1995 law that created the Hill's workplace misconduct system prevented a detailed response.

The current structure of the law means that "the OOC does not possess reliable information regarding the number of sexual harassment claims that have been filed or settled, the identities or positions of the individuals alleged to have committed sexual harassment, or why the parties reached settlements," Susan Tsui Grundmann wrote to Kaine.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/18/kaine-senate-harassment-data-304736