Data released by the Senate rules committee Thursday detailed more than $1.4 million in settlement claims in the upper chamber between 1997 and 2017. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI |
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Dec. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate has paid out more than $1.45 million over the past 20 years to settle sexual harassment and discrimination cases, according to new data released by the chamber late Thursday.
The Senate Rules Committee revealed that nearly $600,000 in 13 taxpayer-funded settlements have been paid to settle workplace misconduct in Congress' upper chamber between 1997 and 2017. Ten other settlements totaled $853,000 in response to claims made by Senate-employing offices.
The data released by the rules panel, though, might be incomplete.
The committee report lists only one settlement claim involving "sex discrimination and reprisal" for $14,260 -- and fails to include a known $220,000 harassment settlement from 2014.
The panel's limited data, though, does not separate out "sexual harassment" -- though it does include "sex discrimination," which could have nothing to do with misconduct cases.
The Office of Compliance said the practice of not separating harassment from other sex-based cases is typical.
"Traditionally, the OOC has not separated allegations of sexual harassment from those involving sex-based disparate treatment or pregnancy discrimination... there are claims classified as sex discrimination which may not involve allegations of sexual harassment, such as claims of disparate treatment based on sex," the office said in a statement.
Thursday's data was released as multiple senators face pressure to reveal more information on sexual and workplace harassment claims. Senator Richard Shelby R-Ala. said the Senate Legal Counsel promised that revealing such information did not violate confidentiality rules.
"While the Rules Committee has been eager to provide this information in a transparent manner, it has been our priority to protect the victims involved in these settlements from further harm," Shelby said.
Senator Thad Cochran, chairman of the appropriations committee, said, "Harassment of any kind is unacceptable. The Senate should hold itself to the highest standards of professionalism and respect."
The largest award given for a case involving "race discrimination and reprisal" amounted to $421,225, the data showed.
