House and Senate reach deal to curb harassment on Capitol Hill

The House and Senate have reached a deal on long-stalled legislation to curb sexual harassment in Congress, according to Sen. Roy Blunt and staff who have been working on the negotiations.

Earlier this year, the Senate passed legislation introduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Blunt that would require members to pay the cost of harassment settlements themselves, among other provisions.

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The House passed its own version, led by Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), but the bills had substantial differences.

The original House bill made members personally liable for harassment and discrimination settlements, while the Senate bill only made members liable for harassment settlements.

The compromise, according to staff familiar with the negotiations, holds members liable for all forms of harassment and retaliation for harassment claims but not discrimination.

Blunt and Klobuchar (D-Minn.) briefed their respective caucuses on the deal Wednesday. They hope to pass it unanimously this week or next and send it to the House as a stand-alone bill to prevent it from getting tied up in a government shutdown fight.

“I talked to the speaker about it today and if everything goes to plan we’ll have our members in agreement in the next day or so,” Blunt said.

Speier intends to introduce legislation with Byrne in the new Congress to address discrimination, she said earlier this week when discussing the negotiations.