Since Oct. 1, 2012 Congress has paid out $84,000 to settle one sexual harassment claim for House offices, House Administration Chairman Gregg Harper, R-Mississippi, told ABC News Friday.
The settlement, one of a total of six House claims covering a variety of complaints, settled since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2013, adds clarity to questions of how much taxpayer money has been spent settling sexual harassment claims on Capitol Hill.
Previously, the Office of Compliance had revealed that the government has paid more than $17 million since 1997 to resolve all manner of workplace claims, including sexual harassment.
Harper, the chairman of the committee of jurisdiction, had requested more specific details about the number of sexual harassment claims and the amount paid out in settlements from the Office of Compliance.
On Thursday, ABC News reported that Congress paid nearly $100,000 to settle at least two sexual harassment claims from young male staffers who worked for former Rep. Eric Massa, D-New York.
The claims were settled after Massa faced an investigation into allegations that he groped and sexually harassed staffers.
The Office of Compliance did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a spokeswoman for the agency has previously said that the majority of the $17 million in settlements are unrelated to sexual harassment.
On Friday the House Ethics Committee asked the Office of Compliance to “promptly provide” the panel will all documents pertaining to sexual harassment claims involving any member of Congress or House employee.
Free America Network Articles