(Phoenix, AZ) – Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09) and Congressman Ron DeSantis (FL-06) today introduced bipartisan legislation to garnish wages of members of Congress who use taxpayer money to cover up sexual harassment claims.
The Garnishing for Unethical Actions to Restore Dignity (GUARD) Act mandates the House or Senate withhold the salaries of Members of Congress or Senators who settle sexual harassment claims and reduce the salary by the amount of a sexual harassment settlement. The bill also requires any reduction in salary as a result of a harassment claim be made public.
“Sexual harassment and sexual assault are always wrong,” said Congresswoman Sinema. “In Washington, the system in place today allows this inappropriate behavior to be hushed up with taxpayer dollars. I expect more from members of Congress, and I know you do too. That’s why we introduced this legislation to hold people who engage in sexual harassment or sexual assault accountable and protect Americans’ tax dollars.”