Surprise! Taxpayers have been footing the bill for sexual misconduct in Congress

Guest Post by Simon Black

On January 23, 1995, President Bill Clinton signed into law a piece of legislation that had been almost unanimously approved by both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives.

It was called the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995– CAA.

The idea behind the CAA was to force Congress to abide by the same rules of workplace health and safety that private companies have to follow.

And one notable example was sexual harassment; until the CAA was passed, sexual harassment rules didn’t really apply to Congress.

Here’s where it gets crazy, though: the CAA established an agency called the Office of Compliance to adjudicate various workplace complaints.

And the law further directed the Treasury Department to allocate taxpayer funds to pay claims and damages resulting from such workplace complaints.

In other words, for nearly a quarter of a century, taxpayers have been footing the bill to settle monetary damages every time a member of Congress was caught groping an intern.

What’s more, section 416 of the CAA requires that all mediation, hearings, and deliberation in sexual harassment claims (or any other workplace complaint) be kept strictly confidential, i.e. NOT disclosed to the public.

Plus a lot of the settlements come with strings attached. In one case of sexual harassment against former Congressman John Conyers, the legal settlement required the complainant to sign an agreement with strict non-disparagement clauses:

“Complainant agrees that she will not disseminate or publish, or cause anyone else to disseminate or publish, in any manner, disparaging or defamatory remarks or comments adverse to the interests of Representative John Conyers . . .”

They’re finally in the midst of passing a law to change this.

There’s a new bill that was recently introduced in the Senate called the CAA Reform Act which aims to heavily revise the original 1995 bill.

Among other provisions, section 111 of the CAA Reform Act will require members of Congress to pay their own damn legal settlements… so they’ll no longer be able to grope interns on the taxpayer’s dime.

It’s amazing that this was actually the law of the land for more than two decades.

The United States fancies itself as having the most advanced republican democracy in the world. But this is banana republic stuff, plain and simple.

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Iconoclast421
Iconoclast421

What happens if “someone” hacks your personal files containing notes on one of these cases that was settled in confidentiality, and posts that information for all to see?

22winmag - when you ask someone which floor they'd like, and they respond with "ladies lingerie"- they're referencing the AEROSMITH SONG!!!
22winmag - when you ask someone which floor they'd like, and they respond with "ladies lingerie"- they're referencing the AEROSMITH SONG!!!

Hey guys, have you ever gotten slapped with a domestic and thousands in legal bills?

You can thank Slick Willie for that.

He was a real 90’s kinda President.

StackingStock
StackingStock

So in the real world unlike the fake Congressional one, not only do you lose your job but the accusers can sue you personally for damages along with the employer.

The corruption is totally unfixable, swamp can not be drained ever, put a fork in us, we’re done.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Which is what they wanted to do with TTP, TTIP.

corp’s could not be sued for causing massive environmental damage, but they could sue you if you complained – and you would experience extreme financial hardship.

CCRider
CCRider

Hilarious! I just love when our ‘honorable’ pols get exposed for the slimy fucking shit balls they ALL are. So a bill with the high brow title of “Congressional Accountability Act of 1995” actually does the precise opposite-bury any accountability for their debauchery. Imagine the depravity of a mind that would cook up this bullshit title knowing full well it’s designed to buffalo those poor slobs who line up to vote for them and beam with pride for doing their sacred civic duty. Amazing.

Vote, my ass.

overthecliff
overthecliff

It would help if there were a constitutional provision that prevents Congress from exempting itself from laws it passes. That is, if we had a constitution.

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