WASHINGTON – Committee on House Administration Chairman Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) today held a hearing as part of the Committee’s review of the U.S. House of Representatives’ existing training, policies, and mechanisms in place to guard against and report sexual harassment. Chairman Harper said:

“Today’s hearing was the very first step in our extensive review of the resources available to assist our Members and staff in regard to sexual harassment awareness and reporting. This is not a partisan issue. We are committed to creating a secure and safe workplace for our Members, their staff, and everyone employed by Congress.

“I want to thank all of our witnesses for being at the hearing today, especially Representatives Jackie Speier and Bradley Byrne. Each provided our Committee with valuable insight. We appreciate everyone’s candor as our panel conducts this extensive review.

“It’s clear that mandatory training is a necessary first step to improving the House’s process to address sexual harassment in the workplace. Our Committee will continue to review the testimony given today, work with Members, and make additional recommendations to strengthen the process. No one should be subjected to inappropriate behavior, and we will continue to raise the level of awareness and the standard of proper conduct in Congress.”

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