Sen. Chuck Grassley proposed that the panel circulate a letter announcing a new policy that Senate employees be required to attend sexual harassment training. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images Grassley pushing for mandatory harassment training 'Sexual harassment training is vitally important to maintaining a respectful and productive work environment in Congress.'

Sen. Chuck Grassley, chief author of the law that established a system for handling workplace misconduct on Capitol Hill, is urging that sexual harassment training be made mandatory, not voluntary, for all upper-chamber employees.

In a Tuesday letter to the Senate Rules Committee, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO, Grassley, an Iowa Republican, proposed that the panel circulate a letter announcing a new policy that Senate employees be required to attend sexual harassment training — a step that's currently voluntary. Grassley's request comes after a POLITICO report outlined congressional staffers' sparse awareness of the Office of Compliance, the harassment-handling entity created in 1995 by the Grassley-backed Congressional Accountability Act.


"I am convinced that sexual harassment training is vitally important to maintaining a respectful and productive work environment in Congress," Grassley wrote.

The Iowan, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, noted that "my understanding is that many offices require their staff to participate in sexual harassment training" offered by the OOC. "But as this training is not mandatory, some may not be receiving it," Grassley added.

In the House, the Administration Committee that processes internal chamber rules began a review of current harassment policy on Monday with the approval of the office of Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) has introduced legislation that would streamline the lengthy process a harassment victim must go through on Capitol Hill to get a complaint acted on, while making harassment training mandatory for lawmakers and their staffers.

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When it comes to the Senate's internal policy, Grassley proposed that a letter from the Rules Committee could suffice to promptly make sexual harassment training mandatory for current and new employees. As precedent, he cited a letter from the rules panel issued in July 2016 that required cybersecurity training for all employees "in an effort to protect the Senate's hardware, network, and data."

Beyond Grassley's letter, the OOC is also taking steps to raise its profile among congressional employees who have previously been unaware of its training. In an email circulated among Senate offices on Monday and viewed by POLITICO, the OOC encourages staffers to complete its sexual misconduct awareness program.

"Sexual harassment scandals in the news have provided a watershed moment for employees to prioritize taking the Office of Compliance’s sexual harassment training," OOC publications and outreach manager Laura Cech wrote in the email. "The online training takes less than 30 minutes, but provides valuable information on what behavior is considered sexual harassment and how to prevent sexual harassment in the congressional workplace."

Genevieve Glatsky contributed to this report.