{"id":726,"date":"2026-07-28T17:40:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T17:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726"},"modified":"2026-07-28T17:40:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T17:40:41","slug":"no-quick-fix-for-sexual-misconduct-in-the-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726","title":{"rendered":"No quick fix for sexual misconduct in the House"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

When Colorado Republican Rep. Jeff Crank introduced legislation last week aiming to crack down on members of Congress dating staff, not everyone was happy.<\/p>\n

Read more How Trump\u2019s political director came to Congress<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you talked to the women who are working on this, maybe you\u2019d get it right,\u201d the Democratic Women\u2019s Caucus posted in response, accusing him of \u201ctrying to get a headline.\u201d<\/p>\n

The public spat comes as a bipartisan group of women is hoping to change how the House handles sexual misconduct.<\/p>\n

In theory, it could be relatively simple: The House could adopt a resolution to change its own rules if most members agreed, adding small tweaks to safeguard staff.<\/p>\n

But as with most things in Congress, change hasn\u2019t come quickly. It\u2019s been more than three months since Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, resigned as a wave of allegations shook the Capitol. Now House lawmakers have left for their August break without a deal to rein in bad bosses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been really hard at work, but we also have gotten some requests to have some additional input, especially from staff. And since this is all about protecting staff, we want to make sure that we take the time to listen to them,\u201d said DWC Chair Teresa Leger Fern\u00e1ndez, D-N.M.<\/p>\n

Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., who was tapped by House leaders to head the anti-misconduct group alongside Leger Fern\u00e1ndez, said they are looking to unveil a proposal in September. They\u2019ve come up with ways to improve training, she said, but enforcement is trickier.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say we\u2019re probably 90 percent there on the training element for both members and staff. The sticky wicket is the accountability. What are the consequences for bad behavior when it comes to sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill? That\u2019s where we\u2019re having to have some difficult conversations,\u201d said Cammack, who also chairs the Republican Women\u2019s Caucus.<\/p>\n

Although already forbid members from dating people they supervise, some want to expand that. Crank\u2019s proposal would bar lawmakers from sexual relationships with any House employee, though it offers members an out: They could ask the Ethics Committee for an exception.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Seeing male colleagues go solo on their own legislation is frustrating, said Leger Fern\u00e1ndez. \u201cYou could have walked over and said, \u2018I\u2019m thinking of doing this,\u2019 and I could have said, \u2018Well, if you\u2019re really committed to it, then this is the way to go to join our effort,\u2019\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In an emailed statement, Crank defended his approach and said he was willing to work with anyone: \u201cEveryone seems to be on the same page that this behavior needs to stop, and we need to hold Congress to a higher standard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cammack said she thought Crank\u2019s idea came in good faith and called sexual relationships in Congress \u201ca really big effing problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous that people don\u2019t recognize the power imbalance that exists here on Capitol Hill,\u201d she said. \u201cEven if it\u2019s another staffer in another office, you still have tremendous influence over that congressional staffer\u2019s career.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf people were less concerned about who gets credit and more concerned about getting it done, then we\u2019d be a lot further along,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Changes in rules, changes in law\u00a0<\/h2>\n

The last time the House overhauled its sexual misconduct policies was eight years ago, after then-Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., led the #MeTooCongress movement, sharing her own story of being pushed against a wall and kissed without her consent as a junior staffer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when the House added its ban on relationships between members and their direct employees, adopting a resolution in 2018 that also established the Office of Employee Advocacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more At the Races: Like father, like daughter?<\/a><\/p>\n

Such a resolution, since it applies solely to the House, doesn\u2019t require a vote in the Senate or a signature from the president. Cammack said the bipartisan group is eyeing that House-only route again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As far as she can tell, the \u201cSenate doesn\u2019t want to do anything.\u201d And a single-chamber resolution would have its perks, according to Daniel Schuman, executive director at the nonprofit American Governance Institute.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something that they could do that they could put into effect immediately, without needing the Senate to engage, without needing to worry about what the White House would do, which is good,\u201d Schuman said. \u201cYou can change a lot of the incentives through this process \u2014 the incentives to come forward, the incentives to be protected against retaliation, things like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But without deeper changes codified in law, \u201cthe punishments would be limited,\u201d Schuman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Several months after the House adopted its resolution in 2018, Congress also took more permanent action, passing a law that revised how workplace harassment and discrimination claims are handled in the legislative branch. Among other things, it got rid of a mandatory \u201ccooling off\u201d period and blocked the use of taxpayer dollars for settlements, putting lawmakers on the hook to pay instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That lasting approach is more along the lines of what one staff group wants to see.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they can really slice and dice the rules in such a way to lead to the same outcome, by all means that\u2019s fine,\u201d said Michael Suchecki, spokesperson for the Congressional Progressive Staff Association. \u201cBut I really would like to see \u2026 a substantive conversation on what sort of changes can go deeper than just a resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, the progressive staff group sent a letter to the heads of the House Administration Committee and the Senate Rules and Administration Committee detailing the protections the group thinks would help, calling it an \u201curgent need.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many of the staffers\u2019 ideas, like strengthening the independent ethics office known as the Office of Congressional Conduct, would require changes in law. They also want to codify the Office of Employee Advocacy created back in 2018, describing it as a \u201cvital lifeline\u201d that offers advice and representation to staff in the face of harassment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Swalwell and Gonzales resignations may have been a wake-up call for some, but Hill culture hasn\u2019t improved overnight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t feel comfortable sending my daughter to work here,\u201d Cammack said. \u201cAnd until I feel like that has changed, we\u2019re going to keep trying to figure out ways to make Capitol Hill a safe place to work.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leger Fern\u00e1ndez and Cammack each said they have the support of their party\u2019s leaders for the proposal they\u2019re working on. According to Cammack, Speaker Mike Johnson \u201chas been very aggressive in trying to get this moved along.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHis office has been engaged with us every single week. That\u2019s not hyperbolic, that is actual truth, that every single week we have been updating the speaker\u2019s office on progress being made,\u201d Cammack said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While new rules in the House often stick, carrying over in the package adopted at the beginning of each Congress or lingering in informal norms, they can also shift with the party in power. In Suchecki\u2019s eyes, \u201csafety concerns should not be taken lightly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCongressional staff protections should not be dependent on the grace of leadership every two years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Read more Bipartisan headwinds buffet $1B \u2018anomaly\u2019 for Trump battleship<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Colorado Republican Rep. Jeff Crank introduced legislation last week aiming to crack down on members of Congress dating staff, not everyone was happy. \u201cIf you talked to the women who are working on this, maybe you\u2019d get it right,\u201d the Democratic Women\u2019s Caucus posted in response, accusing him of \u201ctrying to get a headline.\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":725,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-heard-on-the-hill"],"yoast_head":"\nNo quick fix for sexual misconduct in the House - American Industry Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"No quick fix for sexual misconduct in the House - American Industry Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Colorado Republican Rep. Jeff Crank introduced legislation last week aiming to crack down on members of Congress dating staff, not everyone was happy. \u201cIf you talked to the women who are working on this, maybe you\u2019d get it right,\u201d the Democratic Women\u2019s Caucus posted in response, accusing him of \u201ctrying to get a headline.\u201d […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Industry Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-28T17:40:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=726#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=726\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f31b66192ea99275704b1c4c1195d2bd\"},\"headline\":\"No quick fix for sexual misconduct in the House\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-28T17:40:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=726\"},\"wordCount\":1223,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=726#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/f66352dcec5607854394c29b80e8e1a4.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Heard on the Hill\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=726#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=726\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=726\",\"name\":\"No quick fix for sexual misconduct in the House - American Industry Review\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=726#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=726#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/f66352dcec5607854394c29b80e8e1a4.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-28T17:40:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f31b66192ea99275704b1c4c1195d2bd\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=726#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=726\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=726#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/f66352dcec5607854394c29b80e8e1a4.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/f66352dcec5607854394c29b80e8e1a4.jpg\",\"width\":1638,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 20: Staffers walk through the U.S. Capitol rotunda on Monday morning, Sept. 20. 2021. (Photo by Bill Clark\\\/CQ Roll Call)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?p=726#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"No quick fix for sexual misconduct in the House\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"American Industry Review\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f31b66192ea99275704b1c4c1195d2bd\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanindustryreview.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"No quick fix for sexual misconduct in the House - American Industry Review","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"No quick fix for sexual misconduct in the House - American Industry Review","og_description":"When Colorado Republican Rep. Jeff Crank introduced legislation last week aiming to crack down on members of Congress dating staff, not everyone was happy. \u201cIf you talked to the women who are working on this, maybe you\u2019d get it right,\u201d the Democratic Women\u2019s Caucus posted in response, accusing him of \u201ctrying to get a headline.\u201d […]","og_url":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726","og_site_name":"American Industry Review","article_published_time":"2026-07-28T17:40:41+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f31b66192ea99275704b1c4c1195d2bd"},"headline":"No quick fix for sexual misconduct in the House","datePublished":"2026-07-28T17:40:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726"},"wordCount":1223,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/f66352dcec5607854394c29b80e8e1a4.jpg","articleSection":["Heard on the Hill"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726","url":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726","name":"No quick fix for sexual misconduct in the House - American Industry Review","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/f66352dcec5607854394c29b80e8e1a4.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-28T17:40:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f31b66192ea99275704b1c4c1195d2bd"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/f66352dcec5607854394c29b80e8e1a4.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/f66352dcec5607854394c29b80e8e1a4.jpg","width":1638,"height":1080,"caption":"UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 20: Staffers walk through the U.S. Capitol rotunda on Monday morning, Sept. 20. 2021. (Photo by Bill Clark\/CQ Roll Call)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=726#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"No quick fix for sexual misconduct in the House"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/","name":"American Industry Review","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f31b66192ea99275704b1c4c1195d2bd","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/americanindustryreview.com"],"url":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}