Stop Taxpayers Obligations to Perpetrators of Sexual Harassment Act

Stop Taxpayers Obligations to Perpetrators of Sexual Harassment Act

This bill amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) to require Members of Congress to reimburse the Treasury for the payment of an award or settlement in connection with an allegation of a violation of CAA rights and protections that consists of an act of sexual harassment committed personally by a Member of Congress. The bill also prohibits the Members' Representational Allowance of a Member of the House of Representatives from being used to pay awards, settlements, or other compensation in connection with allegations of sexual harassment by the Member or any other individual paid from the allowance.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4674 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4674

   To amend the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to require 
 Members of Congress to reimburse the Treasury for payments of awards 
and settlements under such Act which are made in connection with claims 
 of sexual harassment committed by the Members, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 18, 2017

  Mrs. Love introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to require 
 Members of Congress to reimburse the Treasury for payments of awards 
and settlements under such Act which are made in connection with claims 
 of sexual harassment committed by the Members, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Stop Taxpayers Obligations to 
Perpetrators of Sexual Harassment Act''.

SEC. 2. REQUIRING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO REIMBURSE TREASURY FOR AMOUNTS 
              PAID AS SETTLEMENTS AND AWARDS UNDER CONGRESSIONAL 
              ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1995 IN CASES OF ACTS OF SEXUAL 
              HARASSMENT COMMITTED PERSONALLY BY MEMBERS.

    (a) Mandating Reimbursement of Amounts Paid.--Section 415 of the 
Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1415) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Reimbursement by Members of Congress of Amounts Paid as 
Settlements and Awards in Cases of Sexual Harassment.--
            ``(1) In general.--If a payment is made from the account 
        described in subsection (a) for an award or settlement in 
        connection with an allegation of a violation of section 201(a) 
        which consists of an act of sexual harassment committed 
        personally by a Member of the House of Representatives or a 
        Senator, the Member or Senator shall reimburse the account for 
        the amount of the award or settlement, in accordance with 
        procedures established by the Committee on House Administration 
        of the House of Representatives (in the case of a Member of the 
        House, including a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the 
        Congress) or the Committee on Rules and Administration of the 
        Senate (in the case of a Senator).
            ``(2) Deadline.--A Member shall reimburse the account 
        described in subsection (a) for a payment described in 
        paragraph (1) not later than 90 days after the payment is 
        made.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to payments made on or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION AGAINST USE OF MEMBERS' REPRESENTATIONAL ALLOWANCE 
              FOR PAYMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL 
              HARASSMENT.

    (a) Prohibition.--The Members' Representational Allowance of a 
Member of the House of Representatives may not be used to pay awards, 
settlements, or other compensation in connection with allegations of 
sexual harassment by the Member or any individual whose compensation is 
paid from the Allowance.
    (b) Exercise of Rulemaking Authority.--Subsection (a) is enacted--
            (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of 
        Representatives, and as such it shall be considered as part of 
        the rules of the House, and shall supersede other rules only to 
        the extent that it is inconsistent therewith; and
            (2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of 
        the House to change such rules at any time, in the same manner, 
        and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of the 
        House.
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