House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in an interview published Saturday that Capitol Hill workplace sexual harassment policies need to change.

Pelosi told The Associated Press that Congress's tendency to self-police and unequal standards between offices for appropriate behavior need to end.

“I think we are at a tipping point in our country,” she said. “For a long time the Congress was a place where every congressional office had its own rules. ... The system needs to be changed.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Her comments come in the wake of accusations against Democratic donor and film mogul Harvey Weinstein that have sparked a wave of sexual harassment and assault revelations in various industries, including in state and national legislatures.

Complaints of inappropriate behavior on Capitol Hill are handled by the Office of Compliance, which requires a lengthy mediation period. This week, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Kirsten GillibrandSuburban moms are going to decide the 2020 election Jon Stewart urges Congress to help veterans exposed to burn pits The Hill's Campaign Report: 19 years since 9/11 | Dem rival to Marjorie Taylor Greene drops out | Collin Peterson faces fight of his career | Court delivers blow to ex-felon voting rights in Florida MORE (D-N.Y.) filed a bill that would streamline the system to handle such complaints and allow congressional interns the same resources as regular staffers.

“Congress should never be above the law or play by their own set of rules. The current process has little accountability and even less sensitivity to victims of sexual harassment,” Gillibrand told the AP.

In a separate statement Friday, Gillibrand said her bill would allow staffers to report inappropriate conduct without fear it will "ruin their careers."

"We must ensure that this institution handles complaints to create an environment where staffers can come forward if something happens to them without having to fear that it will ruin their careers," Gillibrand said in a statement.



"You see time and again in institutions all around the country ... a culture where power and fear keep sexual assault and sexual harassment in the shadows. Congress is no different," she added.

House Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanKenosha will be a good bellwether in 2020 At indoor rally, Pence says election runs through Wisconsin Juan Williams: Breaking down the debates MORE (R-Wis.) urged House members on Friday to undergo sexual harassment awareness training and mandate it for their staffs. It is currently offered by the Office of Compliance, but not required.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley Charles (Chuck) Ernest GrassleySenate Republicans face tough decision on replacing Ginsburg What Senate Republicans have said about election-year Supreme Court vacancies Biden says Ginsburg successor should be picked by candidate who wins on Nov. 3 MORE (R-Iowa) also sent a letter to Sens. Richard Shelby Richard Craig ShelbySenate GOP eyes early exit Dems discussing government funding bill into February GOP short of votes on Trump's controversial Fed pick MORE (R-Ala.) and Amy Klobuchar Amy KlobucharThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - White House moves closer to Pelosi on virus relief bill EPA delivers win for ethanol industry angered by waivers to refiners It's time for newspapers to stop endorsing presidential candidates MORE (D-Minn.), the top members of the Rules Committee, requesting that they make sexual harassment training mandatory.



In a statement to The Washington Post, Shelby said that "Senator Klobuchar and I are working closely with our colleagues to address the issue in the most effective manner."