All 22 female senators, Republicans and Democrats, penned a joint letter to Senate leaders complaining of their "deep disappointment" that the Senate has "failed" to push through sexual harassment reform for congressional workers.

"Inaction is unacceptable when a survey shows that four out of 10 women congressional staffers believe that sexual harassment is a problem on Capitol Hill and one out of six women in the same survey responded that they have been the survivors of sexual harassment," reads the letter, addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

A slew of sexual harassment complaints against politicians became public as part of the #MeToo movement. Sen. Al Franken and Reps. John Conyers and Trent Franks resigned following public allegations of sexual harassment. And Reps. Ruben Kihuen and Blake Farenthold said they will not seek reelection in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against them.



"Survivors who have bravely come forward to share their stories have brought to light just how widespread harassment and discrimination continue to be throughout Capitol Hill," reads the letter.

The letter was spearheaded by Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, and Patty Murray. All female senators — five Republicans and 17 Democrats — signed it.

"No longer can we allow the perpetrators of these crimes to hide behind a 23-year-old law. It’s time to rewrite the Congressional Accountability Act and update the process through which survivors seek justice," it continued.



The House passed legislation to overhaul the Congressional Accountability Act, which was implemented in 1995, last month. Among other things, the bill overhauls the secretive Office of Congressional Compliance, which has for years facilitated taxpayer-funded settlements for allegations against members of Congress and their offices, including sexual harassment. It would also require members to reimburse taxpayers for settlements they made for sexual harassment and other complaints. And it does away with the OOC requirement that victims of sexual harassment go through mandatory mediation and a 30-day "cooling-off period" to decide if the allegation should be pursued legally or administratively.

The Senate was expected to take up the House bill as part of a massive spending bill last week, but dropped those plans. It's unclear when senators will vote on the package.

The group of female senators praised the House legislation in their letter Wednesday, calling the current system for handling sexual harassment on Capitol Hill "antiquated."

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also wrote a letter to McConnell earlier this month demanding for the bill to be brought to the Senate floor.



Schumer said on Wednesday that he supports legislative change. "We strongly agree that the Senate should quickly take up legislation to combat sexual harassment on Capitol Hill," he said in a statement.

David Popp, a spokesperson for McConnell, noted that a bipartisan group is working on legislation. "I don't yet have a prediction on when that will be completed," he said in a statement.

"Sen. McConnell supports members being personally, financially liable for sexual misconduct in which they have engaged," added Popp.



The full text of the letter is as follows:

