Norton Introduces Bill to Create National Commission to Combat Sexual Harassment

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill to create a national commission to combat sexual harassment in the nation's major industries and workplaces. The commission would report to Congress on recommended changes in law or regulations and is modeled on legislation Congress enacted to combat other national problems. Norton, the first woman to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), issued the first federal guidelines holding sexual harassment to be a violation of equal employment laws, which were later upheld by the Supreme Court.

"Sexual harassment remains a pervasive problem in workplaces across the country, affecting workers in every industry and at every level," Norton said. "In recent years, survivors have helped bring long-overdue attention to this issue, and our nation has made important progress in holding individual perpetrators accountable. But sexual harassment is not merely the result of isolated bad actors. It's often enabled by workplace cultures and power imbalances that allow misconduct to go unchecked.

"A national commission would help shine a light on the systemic factors that contribute to sexual harassment and identify meaningful solutions to prevent it. Unlike investigations that depend on individual workers coming forward, often at great personal and professional risk, a commission would take a proactive approach, examining workplace practices, policies and structures that permit harassment to persist. Workers should not bear the burden of exposing these failures alone."

Congress has created similar national commissions on other issues such as gambling, preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism.

Norton's introductory statement follows.

Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Nortonon the Introduction ofthe National Commission to Combat Workplace Sexual Harassment Act

Today, I introduce the National Commission to Combat Workplace Sexual Harassment Act, which would establish a national commission to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. This bill is modeled on bills Congress has passed to establish commissions to address other national problems. Specifically, this bill would establish a commission to carry out a comprehensive investigation and study of sexual harassment in the workplace, including recommending changes in laws and best practices to prevent, investigate, respond to and penalize sexual harassment.

Our constituents expect Congress to address the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace. The commission would hear from a cross section of workers-from office and factory workers to retail and food service workers. A national commission could help reduce sexual harassment in the workplace.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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