--- title: Senate Women Call for Vote on Sexual Harassment Bill description: It’s time to rewrite the Congressional Accountability Act and update the process through which survivors seek justice." canonical: https://time.com/5218765/congress-sexual-harassment-legislation/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-28T15:27:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:31.378Z article:section: Politics og:title: Every Woman in the Senate Is Demanding a Vote on a Sexual Harassment Bill og:description: "No longer can we allow the perpetrators of these crimes to hide behind a 23-year-old law." og:url: https://time.com/5218765/congress-sexual-harassment-legislation/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd6432f81d8a331c9/69892ba4bc6cfc553d3e56d8/gettyimages-908848584.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4500 og:image:height: 2531 og:image:alt: TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-SHUTDOWN-CAPITOL og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Every Woman in the Senate Is Demanding a Vote on a Sexual Harassment Bill twitter:description: "No longer can we allow the perpetrators of these crimes to hide behind a 23-year-old law." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd6432f81d8a331c9/69892ba4bc6cfc553d3e56d8/gettyimages-908848584.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Every Woman in the Senate Is Demanding a Vote on a Sexual Harassment Bill > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jbtW5SvJ.m3u8) (5:02)  _Published 2017-12-06. For giving voice to open secrets, for moving whisper networks onto social networks, for pushing all of us to stop accepting the unacceptable, the Silence Breakers are the 2017 Person of the Year._ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Mar 28, 2018 3:27 PM UTC  The U.S. Capitol is seen in Washington, DC on January 22, 2018 after the US Senate reached a deal to reopen the federal government, with Democrats accepting a compromise spending bill. The U.S. Capitol is seen in Washington, DC on January 22, 2018 after the US Senate reached a deal to reopen the federal government, with Democrats accepting a compromise spending bill. MANDEL NGAN—AFP/Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Mar 28, 2018 3:27 PM UTC Every woman Senator is urging Senate leadership to bring up legislation that would [address sexual harassment and discrimination](http://time.com/5055359/the-choice-2017/) on Capitol Hill. In a letter signed by all 22 women Senators—Republicans and Democrats—the Senators say they are disappointed that the upper chamber has not acted to enact reforms to the [20-year old law that forces survivors of harassment to undergo an arduous process](http://time.com/5055450/susan-brooks-theodore-deutch-sexual-harassment-congress/) when bringing their claims forward. In February, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill that would reform the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, but the Senate has not considered legislation to address the old law. “Survivors who have bravely come forward to share their stories have brought to light just how widespread harassment and discrimination continue to be throughout Capitol Hill,” the Senators write. “No longer can we allow the perpetrators of these crimes to hide behind a 23-year-old law. It’s time to rewrite the Congressional Accountability Act and update the process through which survivors seek justice.” According to the Associated Press, leadership has responded to the senators’ letter. A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he supports having members be “personally, financially liable for sexual misconduct in which they have engaged.” But the leader did not say when legislation to address misconduct would be finished. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said “we strongly agree that the Senate should quickly take up legislation to combat sexual harassment on Capitol Hill.” As the Me Too movement took hold, members of Congress and staff began seeking to address the issue of harassment and discrimination on the Hill. In the time since, several members and staff have resigned, retired, or announced their departures after facing claims of sexual harassment. Both the House and Senate have passed resolutions that require all congressional workplaces to participate in anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training regularly. The House has also passed a resolution that provides staffers who have been harassed or discriminated against with access free legal representation. Read the full letter below: --- > “” --- ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] We can't all be ****. We can't all be asking for it. I am here to give you permission to be angry. This reality might not have to be our reality anymore. I felt this crushing sense of powerlessness. This is the time to take my power back. Here's my story. Uber promises. Investigation into sexual harrassment. Fox News cutting its ties with Bill O'Reilley. I felt it was my duty for the women who are silent to be brave. It's okay to stand up for yourself. Taylor Swift appearing in court today. Harvey Weinstein, the New York- People forget a lot that there's a human behind this. Someone who was very hurt and wronged. [ MUSIC ] [ CROSSTALK ] I always thought maybe things could change for my daughter. I never thought things could change for me. [ MUSIC ] Honestly, I was furious. I have had a man grope me in front of multiple collegues and I was tired of wondering if it was something I wore, I was tired of wondering if it was a vibe I was giving off and when I talked to other women they were furious too >> I felt that if I can speak out, may be if I just stand up then someone else would stand up with me >> There wasn't a place For us to report these experiences. But I sure did talk about it a lot over the years. The least I could do was actually tell my own story and validate theirs for them in a way, just as I was hoping someone much bigger than me would help validate my story. And I knew that other women Would continue to apple for jobs there and that made me feel really uncomfortable. I was afraid of the retaliation, I know the power of patriarchy. I know what men can do when their angry. They did everything that they could to prevent me from raising my concerns further. They asked me if there were other girls, maybe that he has done this too and can I go get them. I had to show them that I wasn't lying And it's like they took me for a joke. And if they couldn't stop us from talking, well, they were gonna stop everybody from listening to us. People digging into my Instagram and pulling up sexy photos as if they kind of discredited me. Well, I've seen you in committee. You're really tough. Why didn't you just hit him? Why did you let it go on for so long? I was a smart young woman that had gone to college, that knew how to fight, and I still was manipulated and conned. I felt ashamed that I hadn't spoken out sooner, not having the strength earlier on to make it stop. The feeling of being humiliated as a woman And there's a point you think is it my fault? For so long I went around harboring this ridiculous belief that because I was a non white woman in my 20s, it was expected that I would have to be treated this way. We don't have to just live like this. Few things could change from my daughter I never thought things could change from me. I'm here to give you permission to be angry, people are afraid specially women where conditioned since birth to be polite. To be nice, to be kind, to be liked to not make waves. ****. We can't all be crazy, we can't all be ****, we can't all be asking for it. And I'm telling you that all the people who stand up, all the people who speak out you are teaching people how to treat and you should not be shamed for that. The shame is not ours to hold, the shame is on perpetrator. Me Too can be a conversation starter or it can be the whole conversation. It took away the power from the predator. And placed the power on the victim. And maybe, just maybe we would be able to get a glimpse at the magnitude of this problem. The amount of people sharing the stories with me is so intense. People that were complete strangers reached out to tell very personal stories. It's What they did with this and they did a lot and not only in France in Hong kong japanese. The most months >> I feel like the day that I spoke up and I said you are a sexual harasser I changed >> some of the. Things in the night. [ FOREIGN ]. It's an honor to be the person that hey I spoke up about this. I took on the risk. And I was very humbled and I was very proud. I'm very glad now that the story has been heard. It's a direct response to that arrogance and that show of power and [ UNKNOWN ]. A sense, we won't be silenced. 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