Washington, D.C. — The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to require the preservation and release of records tied to taxpayer-funded sexual misconduct settlements involving lawmakers and congressional offices.
The resolution, led by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was adopted 420-0, with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., voting present. The measure directs the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights and the House Ethics Committee to produce a consolidated public list within 60 days, including lawmakers connected to settlements and aggregate totals involving House employees.
Massie said the proposal was about transparency and argued that any member who viewed the measure as redundant should consider it an easy vote. Mace said she voted present because she had already subpoenaed and released related settlement material earlier this year.
Congress changed its workplace rules in 2018 after the #MeToo movement, ending the use of taxpayer funds for lawmakers’ personal settlement obligations and requiring more public reporting. The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights has reported hundreds of awards and settlements approved between the mid-1990s and 2018, though not all involved sexual misconduct or lawmakers.
The vote reflects bipartisan pressure for more disclosure after years of criticism that Congress shielded powerful members from public accountability.
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