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 should abide by the laws it imposes on others, including those that protect employees,” Norton said. “Congress already acknowledged the importance of accountability in the legislative branch 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 these issues 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.

“Critically, this bill would also help restore the public’s trust in Congress by redoubling our efforts to lead by example.”

Norton’s introductory statement follows.

Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the Congress Leads by Example Act of 2026

Today, I introduce the Congress Leads by Example Act of 2026, 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.  OCWR has identified additional federal workplace laws and procedures that should apply to the legislative branch.  This bill takes into account OCWR’s recommendations. 

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

This bill would further 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 would bolster the CAA’s recordkeeping requirements.  It would apply 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 my colleagues to support this bill.

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