Posted on Dec 13, 2017
Rep says Congress paid out $15M to silence sex harassment victims
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While people are blasting Trump because of ACCUSATIONS of harassment I would remind our gentle readers that your tax dollars are being used to protect congressmen from victims they have harassed and or abused. Why hasn’t the Washington Post investigated this? They reported that n it? Why aren’t Democrats jumping up and down about this? I think Republicans should be also. I know I am. So far John Conyers has been exposed as has Alcee Hastings. I am sure they aren’t the only predators hiding behind tax dollars.
Rep says Congress paid out $15M to silence sex harassment victims
Posted from nypost.comPosted in these groups: 
Congress
Congress
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 4
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Glass houses. What really bothers me is that these people in both parties keep getting re-elected. Yes I said BOTH parties. If they're guilty, they should be in jail. And the so called victims who turn out to be frauds should be behind bars for these false accusations.
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LTC David Brown
I agree. I am sick of this. Liberals are crowing about Moore, but accept Congress it’s protecting these people. Let the chips fall where they may!
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It actually is a fund for all harassment from what I understand. Not just sexual harassment. Either way there really shouldn't be such a fund.
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LTC David Brown
I think I said “harassed and or abused”. Not just sexual abused and harassed. Those that have had employees use the fund need to be exposed and resign if appropriate. Funny the Washington Post can get to Alabama and high light women who have been abused by Moore but,dispite having reporters on Capital, can’t discover victims of Congressional abuse.
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SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
I was responding to the title - I didn't read the paragraph under the headline.
I did a quick search - the Office of Compliance Director released a compilation of money paid from the fund by year since 1997. It does total 17 million. Not all the money went to congressional harassment cases, though. The money was also used to settle workplace disputes on Capitol Hill and the amounts for various complaints are not broken out by type. The Office of Compliance Director stated that a large portion of the cases originate from employing offices in the legislative branch other than the House or Senate and involved various statutory provisions incorporated by the Congressional Accountability Act. The stats on payments are not further broken down into specific claims because settlements may involve cases that allege violations of more than one of the 13 statutes incorporated by the CAA.
In at least one of the high-profile cases, that of accusations of harassment leveled against Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan), settlement money was paid by his congressional office budget, not the Treasury fund overseen by OOC.
"This has prompted Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Callifornia) to draft legislation to make the OOC’s process more transparent and user-friendly for victims of harassment. (A spokesperson for Speier said the way the system currently works “is obviously created to protect the institution over the victims.”) As it stands, people seeking to file complaints of harassment on Capitol Hill have to wait a minimum of 90 days after filing their initial incident report with OOC, during which time they must receive mandatory counseling and mediation, then wait an additional 30 days in a “cooling off” period."
"According to documents provided by Speier’s office, the bill (dubbed “Me Too” after a social media campaign in which women and some men shared their stories of assault and abuse) seeks to change the process and help prevent future harassment by making the mandatory counseling and mediation voluntary, giving OOC more investigative power, allowing victims to file complaints anonymously, giving them more time to do so and providing them a central platform they can use. It would also implement sexual harassment training and require any members of Congress who settle a claim to personally reimburse the Treasury fund. OOC would also be required to publish the name of the employing office and amount awarded in settlements."
That is why no one knows who claims have been made against. I'm sure if a reporter wanted to dig through the bureaucracy of it they could.
I did a quick search - the Office of Compliance Director released a compilation of money paid from the fund by year since 1997. It does total 17 million. Not all the money went to congressional harassment cases, though. The money was also used to settle workplace disputes on Capitol Hill and the amounts for various complaints are not broken out by type. The Office of Compliance Director stated that a large portion of the cases originate from employing offices in the legislative branch other than the House or Senate and involved various statutory provisions incorporated by the Congressional Accountability Act. The stats on payments are not further broken down into specific claims because settlements may involve cases that allege violations of more than one of the 13 statutes incorporated by the CAA.
In at least one of the high-profile cases, that of accusations of harassment leveled against Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan), settlement money was paid by his congressional office budget, not the Treasury fund overseen by OOC.
"This has prompted Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Callifornia) to draft legislation to make the OOC’s process more transparent and user-friendly for victims of harassment. (A spokesperson for Speier said the way the system currently works “is obviously created to protect the institution over the victims.”) As it stands, people seeking to file complaints of harassment on Capitol Hill have to wait a minimum of 90 days after filing their initial incident report with OOC, during which time they must receive mandatory counseling and mediation, then wait an additional 30 days in a “cooling off” period."
"According to documents provided by Speier’s office, the bill (dubbed “Me Too” after a social media campaign in which women and some men shared their stories of assault and abuse) seeks to change the process and help prevent future harassment by making the mandatory counseling and mediation voluntary, giving OOC more investigative power, allowing victims to file complaints anonymously, giving them more time to do so and providing them a central platform they can use. It would also implement sexual harassment training and require any members of Congress who settle a claim to personally reimburse the Treasury fund. OOC would also be required to publish the name of the employing office and amount awarded in settlements."
That is why no one knows who claims have been made against. I'm sure if a reporter wanted to dig through the bureaucracy of it they could.
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All the SHARP training in the world isn't going to make a dent in MST crime rates until these 264 members of Congress are removed from office and prosecuted. A fish always rots from the head.
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SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
No there's not going to be a change in sexual assault in the military until there's a change in the environment and culture of the military. It's not going to stop until the commanders who shove shit under the rug are held accountable. It's not going to stop until victims are no longer persecuted for reporting. Female OR male.
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SSG Diane R.
SFC Kelly Fuerhoff - I agree with you, but as long as congress, who funds the military and holds it accountable has their slush funds, it will go on and on. Leadership begins at the top.
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SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
SSG Diane R. - They actually don't have a slush fund for harassment claims.
"Although there is a U.S. Treasury fund devoted to paying settlements, it is not a “slush fund” which implies it is secret and utilized for illicit purposes. The fund is administered by the Office of Compliance (OOC), which was established in 1995 with the Congressional Accountability Act and is used for the payment of awards and settlements. The OOC is overseen by the House Administration and Senate Rules committees.
Unlike a “slush fund” which would be off the books, the fund is a line item and every year its activity can be viewed by the public in Treasury reports — for example money laid out from the fund in Fiscal Year 2016 can be viewed here under “Awards and Settlements, Office of Compliance.” In FY 2016 the fund paid out a total of $491,733.97."
"Although there is a U.S. Treasury fund devoted to paying settlements, it is not a “slush fund” which implies it is secret and utilized for illicit purposes. The fund is administered by the Office of Compliance (OOC), which was established in 1995 with the Congressional Accountability Act and is used for the payment of awards and settlements. The OOC is overseen by the House Administration and Senate Rules committees.
Unlike a “slush fund” which would be off the books, the fund is a line item and every year its activity can be viewed by the public in Treasury reports — for example money laid out from the fund in Fiscal Year 2016 can be viewed here under “Awards and Settlements, Office of Compliance.” In FY 2016 the fund paid out a total of $491,733.97."
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