A cross-party House working group is reviewing how sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill is reported and handled, after a rise in ethics investigations this year, PBS NewsHour reports, citing the Associated Press.
The group is led by Republican Kat Cammack of Florida and Democrat Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico. Ms Cammack said former staff had come forward with "gut-wrenching" accounts, and that victims were unsure where to seek help and doubted there would be consequences for wrongdoers. She criticised a 180-day deadline for filing complaints, saying the system discouraged victims from coming forward.
Three members of Congress resigned this year rather than face expulsion votes, two of them in cases involving alleged sexual misconduct, and another was censured. The task force plans to publish recommendations after the 3 November elections, aiming for action before the end of the year.
Source: PBS NewsHour
