Norton Introduces Bill to Strengthen Workplace Protections for Legislative Branch Employees

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the Congress Leads by Example Act, which would subject Congress and the rest of the legislative branch to workplace laws that protect employees in the private sector and the executive branch.

"Congress must abide by the laws it imposes on the American people and their workplaces,” Norton said. “Congress already acknowledged the importance of accountability in the legislative branch workplace when it passed the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and further confirmed it when it passed the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act in 2018. As a former chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, I take issues of workplace discrimination and abuse very seriously. My bill builds on the protections in previous laws, bringing the protections for legislative branch employees in line with those for other workers."

Norton's introductory statement follows.

Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

On the Introduction of the Congress Leads by Example Act of 2024

August 27, 2024

Today, I introduce the Congress Leads by Example Act of 2024, which would apply to the legislative branch many of the laws that protect employees in the private sector and the executive branch.  Congress should abide by the laws it imposes on others.

In 1995, Congress passed the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA), which applied 13 existing civil rights, labor and workplace safety and health laws to the legislative branch.  In 2018, after reports of sexual harassment in Congress and in light of the #MeToo movement, Congress passed the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act (Reform Act), which changed the name of the Office of Compliance to the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR), revised the process to resolve workplace claims and extended CAA protections to unpaid staff, interns and fellows.  It also made Members of Congress personally liable for their own violations of workplace harassment and retaliation laws.

The CAA and the Reform Act were important steps in making the legislative branch accountable for its employment practices, but they did not finish the job.  As noted, the CAA brought the legislative branch under 13 existing civil rights, labor and workplace safety and health laws but it omitted important substantive and procedural protections.  In its three most recent Section 102(b) biennial reports to Congress, OCWR identified additional federal workplace laws and procedures that should apply to the legislative branch.  This bill takes into account OCWR’s recommendations, and seeks both to apply the standard of fairness for employees of the legislative branch that Congress requires for other employees and provide a safer work environment for the legislative branch and visitors by bringing the legislative branch obligations in line with the legal requirements for the private sector and the executive branch.

This bill provides general whistleblower protections and anti-retaliation measures and makes additional Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) retaliation provisions applicable to the legislative branch.  This bill also provides subpoena authority to OCWR to conduct inspections and investigations into OSHA violations.  It also provides extended paid parental bereavement leave to legislative branch employees.

This bill also furthers the CAA’s goal of preventing workplace discrimination in the legislative branch by prohibiting the legislative branch from making adverse employment decisions based on an employee’s wage garnishment or involvement in bankruptcy proceedings pursuant to the Consumer Credit Protection Act or Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code.

Finally, this bill bolsters the CAA’s recordkeeping requirements.  It applies to the legislative branch the obligation to maintain accurate records of safety information and employee injuries, as otherwise required by OSHA, as well as employee records necessary to administer anti-discrimination laws.

This bill would help restore the public’s trust in Congress by redoubling our efforts to exercise leadership by example.  I urge support for this bill.

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