House votes to force release of records on sexual harassment settlements involving lawmakers

(CNN) — The House overwhelmingly passed a resolution to force the disclosure of records on confidential sexual harassment settlements on behalf of members Congress.

GOP Rep. Thomas Massie forced the vote, saying that he believes documents and information already turned over to lawmakers was not sufficient. The measure was approved with 420 votes and one GOP lawmaker voting present.

The Republican-backed effort is the latest attempt from lawmakers to respond to calls for more accountability and transparency on Capitol Hill regarding sexual misconduct, a push that has been supported on both sides of the aisle.

The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights was already compelled to turn over settlement documents to Congress following a subpoena from GOP Rep. Nancy Mace earlier this year. Mace was the one lawmaker to vote present on the measure, telling CNN it was no different from her previous work.

“I already did this,” Mace said. “I subpoenaed the files in oversight in March and released them in May. It’s already been done.”

Even though the documents revealed taxpayers paid over half a million dollars in confidential congressional sexual harassment settlements dating back decades, Massie believes there is more for the office to publicize.

“I just feel like there’s something missing,” Massie said ahead of the vote, adding that he wants the office to clarify whether there are more records that can be turned over. The resolution from the GOP lawmaker calls for both that office and the House Ethics Committee to turn over information.

“If somebody thinks what I’m doing is redundant, then it’s an easy yes vote,” Massie told CNN.

From January 1, 1996, through December 12, 2018, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights approved 349 awards or settlements “to resolve complaints against legislative branch offices,” its general counsel said in a letter sent to House Oversight Chair James Comer previously obtained by CNN. Eighty of those cases were settled by a House or Senate office for a host of reasons. From that subset, seven cases led to payments to address allegations of sexual harassment.

The payments referenced in the letter used taxpayer money from a Treasury account that no longer exists as an option for lawmakers.

Following policy changes made in 2018 in the wake of the #MeToo movement, members could no longer rely on taxpayer dollars for settlements.

The House Ethics Committee announced in a recent statement that since the enactment of the new law, “the Committee has not been notified of any awards or settlements relating to allegations of sexual harassment by a member.”

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