Executive Committee adopts changes to General Assembly workplace harassment policy

The Executive Committee of the Legislative Council voted unanimously to adopt proposed changes to the General Assembly's workplace harassment policy after a staff presentation and brief discussion.

Deputy Director Christy Chase of the Office of Legislative Legal Services told the committee the package before members revises the reporting and formal-resolution processes and asked the committee for a decision. "You have before you, something you saw at your last meeting, the proposed changes to the workplace harassment policy, and we are requesting a decision on these proposed changes," Chase said.

Chase said the changes include three primary adjustments to the policy: a provision that gives a respondent an opportunity to be interviewed and to provide information when a complaint is filed; an ability for staff to determine whether a complaint was filed in bad faith or is false and to dismiss it; and a requirement that, if a complainant withdraws a complaint, the respondent may still see and respond to the complaint and that response become part of the permanent record. Chase also pointed the committee to an edit in the formal resolution process acknowledging that some of the proposed procedures may deviate from standard HR practice.

Madam vice chair moved the changes "to the presented changes to the workplace harassment policy of the general assembly." Another member seconded the motion. The committee then recorded a roll-call vote: Duran, Lindeen, Puglisi, Rodriguez, the speaker and the president all voted yes. The motion passed unanimously.

The committee did not add additional amendments during the vote and moved on to the fiscal items on the agenda after adopting the policy changes.

The Office of Legislative Legal Services will incorporate the committee's approved text into the policy documents provided to members and staff, and the Executive Committee will not revisit the changes at that meeting.