Female lawmakers allege harassment by colleagues in House

Women in Congress allege they were harassed by fellow lawmakers — a revelation that follows allegations of sexual harassment and assault against prominent male figures in entertainment, business and media.

One current and three former female lawmakers say that they were harrassed or subjected to inappropriate sexual remarks by their male counterparts, at least two of whom continue to serve in the House.

The alleged victims say they didn't report the years-old incidents, noting that there was no clear way to lodge complaints.

The newly surfaced allegations have prompted U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to announce legislation designed to combat sexual harassment in Congress.

She detailed plans to introduce a new bill that will "reform the current inadequate process by creating mandatory annual training for Members and staff, requiring climate surveys to show the true scope of this problem, giving interns the access to the same resources and protections as full-time staff, ending forced mediation, and overhauling the processs that Congressional staffers have to report sexual harassment," she said Friday.

Rep. Jackie Speier of California, who recently described being sexually assaulted by a male chief of staff while working as a congressional staffer, blames the offense on vague rules around harassment. She is also preparing similar legislation to combat what she called "a breeding gruond for a hostile work environment" in Congress.

Republican Rep. Mary Bono, who served 15 years before being defeated in 2012, said she tolerated increasingly vulgar come-ons by a male colleague before she confronted him.

Her tipping point came when he told her he'd been thinking about her in the shower.

She told him her comments were demeaning and wrong, and he relented, she said.

The allegations from the four women say the incidents, ranging from isolated comments to groping on House floor, mostly occurred when they were newcomers to Congress.

The revelations point to the pervasiveness of sexual harassment in the workplace and underscore that no woman — not even one that occupies a senior role in government — is immune.

Bono said her alleged harasser didn't know how to talk to a woman as an equal. "Instead of being 'how's the weather, how's your career, how's your bill,' it was 'I thought about you while I was in the shower.' So it was a matter of saying to him 'That's not cool, that's just not cool.'"

She said the lawmaker, who still works in Congress, stopped the unwanted advances after she approached him.

A second former lawmaker, former Sen. Barbara Boxer, described a male colleague's sexually suggestive comment in the 1980s.

He said he wanted to "associate" himself with her remarks — before adding that he also wanted to "associate with the gentle lady."

Boxer said others who heard the lawmaker's comments laughed them off.

"This was an example of the way I think we were thought of, a lot of us. ... It's hostile and embarrasses, and therefore could take away a person's power," she said.

The incidents shed light on the lack of training or reporting requirements in place to deal with sexual harassment.

Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif. said she endured similar, repeated harassment.

"When I was a very new member of Congress in my early 30s, there was a more senior member who outright propositioned me, who was married, and despite trying to laugh it off and brush it aside, it would repeat. And I would avoid that member," she said.

She declined to name the lawmaker, saying, "I just don't think it would be helpful."

"The problem is, as a member there's no HR department you can go to, there's nobody you can turn to. Ultimately, they're employed by their constituents," she said.

Sanchez said a different male colleague touched her inappropriately on the House floor, trying to brush it off as an accident. That lawmaker no longer works in Congress.

Former Rep. Hilda Solis, now a Los Angeles County supervisor, is among those who recalls harassment in Congress.

"I don't think I'm the only one. What I tried to do was ignore it, turn away, walk away. Obviously it's offensive. Are you supposed to be flattered? No, we're adults. Not appropriate," she said, adding that the incidents were "humiliating."

With News Wire Services