The only member of the Senate Democratic Caucus currently in office who has been openly accused of sexual harassment was absent from his caucus' mandatory training on that topic on Wednesday.

Sen. Daylin Leach, of Montgomery County, missed the session due to a scheduling conflict but has committed to completing the training next week when the Senate returns to session in Harrisburg, caucus officials said. He was the only one in the 16-member caucus who was absent.

His spokesman explained Leach, in his role as minority chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was serving on a panel on Wednesday at a Pennsylvania Bar Association Midyear Meeting that he attends annually. That meeting is taking place Wednesday through Sunday at the Casa Marina Resort & Beach Club in Key West, Florida.

"His arrangements to do so this year were already in place when the Senate training was scheduled, so Senator Leach was unable to attend the training," said his spokesman Zakary Pyzik.

Last month, Leach was accused of misconduct by former campaign and legislative female staffers who told the Philadelphia Inquirer that his sexually suggestive jokes and, in at least two cases, unwanted touches made them uncomfortable.

Leach apologized earlier this month in an op-ed that appeared in the Inquirer "for ever saying or doing anything that has made anyone uneasy, uncomfortable, or distressed." He promised to change his conduct.

Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa of Allegheny County said Leach has represented the caucus at this bar association meeting for several years and had committed to participating at this year's session months ago.

"It was fine because folks explained where he was," Costa said. "It was a longstanding commitment he had on the day we picked to have the training."

He said Leach will receive the same exact training from McNees Wallace & Nurick's Adam Santucci, the caucus' outside counsel, that the other Democratic senators received. Costa said he may be joined by caucus staff members who were absent when their training sessions were held earlier this month. Costa said this extra session would not result in added cost to the caucus.

Senate Republicans Caucus held their training on Monday. Thirty-three of the 34 GOP senators attended that session. Sen. Chuck McIlhinney, R-Bucks County, missed that session due to a death in the family but he has since received the training, said caucus spokeswoman Jenn Kocher.

The Democratic senators' training was supposed to last an hour but due to members' questions, ran an extra 45 minutes.

Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks County, was impressed by the questions asked and the answers given and said it was by far, the best training on the topic of sexual harassment she has ever received as a senator or employee.

"Perhaps because of the atmosphere we're finding ourselves in right now, everybody took it very seriously," she said. "I came away feeling much more confident that I and my colleagues are going to be better prepared in terms of dealing with any type of sexual harassment that would arise in our offices."

She said one of her staff members who attended the caucus' sexual harassment training sessions for staff earlier in the month told her that she has noticed a difference in the way people act since the training.

"She said that there's just a different atmosphere in terms of everybody recognizing the problem this is, that we had and going forward we want to deal with it," Schwank said. "That made me feel good."

Schwank is among the female state lawmakers who have taken a stand against sexual harassment by introducing legislation to try to change the culture.

Her bill, which she said is still a work in progress to ensure it better protects victims of sexual harassment, would prohibit non-disclosure agreements in the settlement of civil claims for sexual assault or harassment.