{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://frankel.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3358", "Reps. Frankel, Katko, Underwood, Fitzpatrick, Blunt-Rochester, Nadler, Sen. Hirono Introduce Comprehensive Workplace Harassment Legislation", "2021-11-03", "2021", "2021-11", "Democrat", "House", "FL", "Lois Frankel", "F000462", "frankel.house.gov", "frankel", "https://frankel.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill will Empower Employees to Speak Out Against Harassment\n\nWashington, DC \u2013 Today, Representatives Lois Frankel (D-FL-21), John Katko (R-NY-24), Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-Del), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10), along with 60 additional cosponsors, re-introduced the Ending the Monopoly of Power Over Workplace Harassment Through Education and Reporting (EMPOWER) Act. This bipartisan bill will lift the veil of secrecy surrounding workplace harassment, strengthen employee protections, and increase transparency and accountability to create safer workplaces across America. A companion bill will be introduced in the Senate by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI).\n\n\u201cEveryone deserves to work with dignity in a safe workplace, said Rep. Frankel. \u201cSurvivors of harassment should not be silenced. This bill allows workers to speak out against hostile work environments without penalty, provides them fairer compensation, and holds liable employers accountable.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m proud to help lead the bipartisan EMPOWER Act to end the culture of silence around workplace harassment. Employers are increasingly using non-disclosure agreements to force workers to sign away their rights to speak out about harassment,\u201d said Rep. Underwood. \u201cBy prohibiting this practice, the EMPOWER Act will help ensure that everyone has a safe and dignified work environment.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s past time to put an end to the culture of silence surrounding workplace harassment, which has only perpetuated hostile work environments,\u201d said Rep. Fitzpatrick. \u201cOur bipartisan legislation will hold perpetrators accountable and provide victims with the resources and support they need to report harassment or abuse in the workplace without fear of retribution.\u201d\n\n\u201cEveryone has the right to a harassment-free workplace, and from our farms to our factory floors, we cannot allow sexual misconduct and cultures of silence to continue,\u201d said Rep. Blunt Rochester. \u201cWith the goal of creating workplaces and a society where all are safe to thrive, this bill clearly defines sexual harassment, creates transparency and accountability, and aims to remove the fear of retribution for victims speaking out. I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation that empowers victims and ultimately makes meaningful strides in ending sexual harassment and creating cultures of respect at companies everywhere.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a nation, we have failed to provide every person with a safe and fair work environment,\u201d said Rep. Nadler, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. \u201cCongress now has the long overdue opportunity to rectify this injustice. We must act. The EMPOWER Act will make meaningful progress toward ending workplace harassment. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this bipartisan, bicameral legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe #MeToo movement exposed the ways powerful people and corporations used non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements to hide workplace harassment,\u201d said Sen. Hirono. \u201cThe EMPOWER Act will level the playing field by outlawing these agreements, enabling workers to speak out and hold their harassers to account.\u201d\n\nThe EMPOWER Act is the most comprehensive bipartisan bill on workplace harassment. Specifically, the legislation would:\n\nBan the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as a condition of employment, which will empower workers to speak out about harassment;\n\nHold workplaces accountable by requiring publicly-traded companies to disclose harassment-based settlements and awards on annual financial filings;\n\nClose loopholes in the tax code that put taxpayers on the hook for the costs companies incur litigating harassment claims;\n\nEnd the tax penalty on survivors of workplace harassment who receive damages, and;\n\nDirect the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to create and disseminate resources to help foster safe and respectful workplaces.\n\nThe EMPOWER Act has been endorsed by American Association of University Women, Economic Policy Institute, Human Rights Campaign, Justice for Migrant Women, National Partnership for Women and Families, National Employment Law Association, National Women\u2019s Law Center, and The Urban League.\n\nFull text of the legislation can be found here and a summary can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:30:49Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://frankel.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3358"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8335839956998825, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}