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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 15 november 2017
House to adopt mandatory anti-sexual harassment training

By JULIET LINDERMAN plaints. Office of House Employ-
Associated Press The bill gained support ment Counsel, replied that
WASHINGTON (AP) — from both Democratic and such discrimination is ille-
Speaker Paul Ryan said Republican lawmakers. gal.
Tuesday that the House will Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss., With each passing day,
require anti-harassment who chairs the House Ad- new revelations of sexual
and anti-discrimination ministration Committee, misconduct continue to
training for all members said in his opening remarks, rock the political sphere.
and their staffs. The an- “I believe we need man- Alabama’s Republican
nouncement came just datory training, and prob- nominee for Senate, Roy
hours after a hearing in ably everyone here would Moore, has come under
which two female lawmak- agree.” fire after several women
ers spoke about sexual mis- Speier said since com- came forward with ac-
conduct involving sitting ing forward with her story counts of sexually inap-
members of Congress. she’s been inundated with propriate behavior or, in at
“Our goal is not only to In this March 28, 2017, file photo, Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., phone calls from staffers least one case, assault, at
raise awareness, but also walks at the Capitol, in Washington. eager to share their own Moore’s hand when they
make abundantly clear Associated Press accounts of harassment were teenagers and he
that harassment in any staffer who quit her job af- rent lawmakers have been and abuse. A petition call- was in his 30s. Senate Ma-
form has no place in this ter a lawmaker asked her involved in sexual harass- ing for Congress to make jority Leader Mitch McCo-
institution,” said Ryan, R- to bring work material to his ment. training mandatory has nnell, R-Ky., and other Re-
Wis. “As we work with the house, then exposed him- “In fact, there are two gained more than 1,500 publicans, including Ryan,
Administration, Ethics, and self. members of Congress, Re- signatures from former Hill have said Moore should
Rules committees to imple- “That kind of situation, publican and Democrat, staffers.She did not name step aside.
ment mandatory training, what are we doing here for who serve right now who the lawmakers mentioned One Republican sena-
we will continue our review women, right now, who are have been subject to re- in her testimony, citing the tor has suggested that if
to make sure the right poli- dealing with someone like view, or not been subject nondisclosure agreements elected, Moore should be
cies and resources are in that?” Comstock asked. to review, that have en- she wants to eliminate. expelled from the Senate.
place to prevent and re- Comstock said there gaged in sexual harass- One Republican lawmaker, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-
port harassment.” should be clear-cut rules ment,” Speier said. Rodney Davis of Illinois, said Minn., said women are
The policy change will hap- about the kinds of relation- The Democrat from Cali- that addressing the issue of “nowhere near where we
pen through legislation. ships and behaviors that fornia recently introduced sexual harassment on the should be” in workplaces
The move comes days af- are off-limits and create a legislation to make train- Hill is “long overdue” and across the country — in-
ter the Senate unanimously hostile work environment. ing to prevent sexual ha- that Congress must “lead cluding the Senate.“You
approved a measure re- Comstock said the name rassment mandatory for by example.” But he ex- wonder why there’s only
quiring all senators, staff of the lawmaker she men- members of Congress after pressed concern that the 21 women in the Senate,
and interns to be trained tioned wasn’t disclosed to sharing her own story of be- increasing focus on gender or why there’s hardly any
on preventing sexual ha- her, but she emphasized ing sexually assaulted by a hostility in the workplace women running Hollywood
rassment. that naming names is an male chief of staff. could create unintended studios ... or major business-
During a House Adminis- important step in promot- Her bill also includes a sur- consequences, including es. Well, when you have
tration hearing Tuesday ing accountability and en- vey of the current situation “that some offices may just work environments where
on sexual harassment couraging victims to come in Congress and an over- take a short cut and not people feel like they can’t
prevention, Rep. Barbara forward. haul of the processes by hire women as a way to get ahead without having
Comstock, R-Va., said she At the same hearing, Rep. which members and staff- avoid these issues.” to put out, that’s what hap-
was recently told about a Jackie Speier said two cur- ers file harassment com- Gloria Lett, counsel for the pens,” Klobuchar said.q
Trump expected to significantly reduce 2 Utah monuments

By MICHELLE L. PRICE cent to 60 percent. Bill Clinton unnecessarily Grand Staircase-Escalante, Durbin, the No. 2 Senate
Associated Press Trump told Hatch and locked up too much land which includes about 1.9 Democrat, after Zinke met
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah’s governor last month and asked Trump to shrink million acres (7700 square with Durbin and four other
President Donald Trump is that he would follow the or rescind them. kilometers) was named by Democratic senators.
expected to significantly recommendation of Inte- The monuments were cre- President Bill Clinton in 1996. Durbin said in a statement
downsize two sprawling rior Secretary Ryan Zinke ated under a 1906 law that Zinke’s spokeswoman that he’s concerned Trump
Utah national monuments and shrink both monu- allows presidents to protect Heather Swift did not im- plans to shrink Bears Ears
that protect more than 3 ments, but the White House sites that are considered mediately respond to ques- by about 80 percent and
million acres of the state’s and Zinke’s office have not historic, geographically or tions seeking details about called for Zinke to be more
red rock country, Utah Sen. offered details about how culturally significant. Trump Zinke’s recommendations. transparent and release
Orrin Hatch’s office said they’d redraw the monu- ordered Zinke to review 27 Zinke, who visited both maps of the proposed
Tuesday. ment boundaries. monuments created un- monuments in May, told changes.
Ron Dean, Hatch’s Central Dean said Tuesday that der the law, with Bears Ears The Salt Lake Tribune on “It is clear that this decision
and Eastern Utah Director, while he hasn’t seen Zin- the top priority.Bears Ears, Monday that he thinks is not based on protecting
testified during a meeting ke’s recommendations, he which a coalition of tribal Bears Ears will end up larger some of the most extraor-
in Utah of a state legislative could speak with “some leaders spent years advo- than two existing national dinary natural resources in
public lands committee certainty” on how much of cating for, covers about parks in Utah, keeping the our nation, but rather on
that he expects Bears Ears a reduction Hatch’s office 1.3 million acres (5,300 monument at least 180,000 protecting political allianc-
National Monument will be expected to see. square kilometers) of land acres (728 square kilome- es,” Durbin said.
cut by at least 80 percent Utah’s Republican lead- considered sacred by Na- ters). Trump is expected to of-
of its current size, while ers, including Hatch, have tive Americans and home The plans for a dramatic fer more details about his
Grand Staircase-Escalante said the monuments de- to thousands of archaeo- reduction to the rugged plans for the monuments
National Monument will be clared by Democratic Pres- logical sites, including cliff spaces drew criticism Tues- when he visits Utah in early
reduced by about 40 per- idents Barack Obama and dwellings and petroglyphs. day from U.S. Sen. Dick December.q