A bipartisan group of lawmakers is set to introduce legislation aimed at addressing rampant sexual misconduct cases in Congress.
This comes amid several instances in which lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are facing allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior.
From Politico:
A bipartisan House effort is underway to fundamentally change how sexual misconduct and other bad behavior on Capitol Hill is identified, investigated and eradicated.
But the widely-held goal of transforming the workplace culture of Congress could quickly run up against longstanding lawmaker resistance to tools necessary to police themselves, with some worried it will turn into another avenue for partisan mudslinging.
Reps. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) and Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), the chairs of their respective party’s women’s caucuses, have been working on legislation to change how the Ethics Committee functions and streamline the various processes by which staffers can report violations, with plans to unveil a framework in September after the summer recess.
“I am incredibly optimistic that when we get back into session that we will have a set of reforms that we can all agree on,” Leger Fernández said in an interview this past week.
“We’ve been hard at work all summer, and we’re on track to unveil our proposal next month,” Cammack said in a statement.
The rash of sexual misconduct allegations over the past year against male members of Congress that resulted in two resignations in the same week — from former Reps. Eric Swalwell of California and Tony Gonzales of Texas — has increased the urgency for action. Cammack and Leger Fernández also have support from Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, giving their effort more legitimacy.
And here are:
— 🇺🇸RealRobert🇺🇸 (@Real_RobN) August 16, 2026
The 357 members of U.S. Congress who voted to block the release of—-a secret slut fund appropriated for their sexual harassment and rape charges—that paid out $18 million at taxpayers’ expense that goes all the way back to the 70’s.@realannapaulina “I think it’s… pic.twitter.com/TAOA8nyDJE
Congress in April published a list of 28 House investigations into sexual misconduct, according to the New York Post.
The House Ethics Committee published a list Monday of all its publicly disclosed sexual misconduct investigations into members stretching back to 1976.
The 28 investigations spanned from former Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) — both of whom resigned from the House last week — to the late Rep. Wayne Hays (D-Ohio).
In total, fourteen were Democrats and 12 were Republicans. The late Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) was twice investigated for pursuing a “sexual relationship with a staffer in 2014 and again in 2020.
ERIC SWALWELL FACES ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
— Washington Eye (@washington_EY) August 13, 2026
Multiple women have reportedly accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct; the allegations remain unproven and should be subject to appropriate investigation and due process. #WashingtonEye pic.twitter.com/UpRSM8o15g
Along with Swalwell and Gonzales, Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards (NC-11) has faced allegations that he engaged in “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.” Lawmakers have pushed to censure the lawmaker.