In an effort to continually improve the working environment at the Senate, I have directed Senate Counsel and the Senate’s Human Resources Department to begin the work of reviewing and updating the Senate sexual harassment policy. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has already provided Senate staff with research and resources, including best practices from other states and workplaces, which will be used to develop comprehensive recommendations.

Additionally, the Senate continues to require mandatory Respect in the Workplace training for both Senators and staff upon hire, and again every five years. A list of Senators who have not completed the training by the last training date on March 2, 2018 will be publicly reported to the Rules Committee.

While I applaud the good intentions of those proposing a Task Force on Sexual Harassment, I believe the non-partisan Senate Counsel and Senate HR Department can be more agile in developing recommendations in a timely manner. The new policy will be made public when it is adopted, and will include a mechanism for third-party reporting.