A lobbyist for one of Pennsylvania’s most influential unions says a state House lawmaker has accused her of sexual harassment, and she’s asking the Legislature to expand internal rules governing who conducts misconduct.
Andy Perez, who represents Service Employees International Union 32BJ in Harrisburg, made the allegations Friday in Philadelphia during a hearing organized by new state House Speaker Mark Rozzi (D., Berk).
Rosie has scheduled a series of public meetings to ask for input on the State Council’s procedures amid partisan conflict, which controls the House of Commons. The sessions provide a rare opportunity for Pennsylvanians to directly weigh in on the regulations, which in most years are quickly adopted at the start of each new legislative session.
Perez said she was harassed by a male lawmaker while discussing the bill outside the Capitol building on Friday. She did not give the lawmaker’s name, party affiliation or other details.
“When the lawmaker told me he was impressed by my interest and knowledge of the issues we were discussing, I decided to take care of my feet while I was always wearing a dress,” Perez said. I walked away from him hoping he would stop – he didn’t.
“I could sit here for hours telling you how I felt after this,” she continued. “Of course I was outraged by the disdain and arrogance of the employees at my union to sexually harass me in a public place where I was trying to do my job.”
Perez tried to file a complaint with the state council’s ethics committee, but sorry, the law doesn’t allow you to file a complaint because you’re not a council employee. There was nothing in the House rules that allowed the leadership to officially take any other action.
In a brief response Friday, Rosie thanked Perez for his “bravery.”
“I promise that this will be another issue that we will review in our laws moving forward,” he said.
A spokesman for state House Democrats said in a statement: “There have been situations before, and unfortunately, we know they will happen in the future.
In the year While progress has been made through legislative changes passed in 2019, we will continue to work to develop broader legislation to ensure that due process for harassment and discrimination claims – for all protected classes – is ultimately included in the legislation passed this session. ” said spokeswoman Nicole Regelman.
A spokesman for the House GOP caucus said it was “not aware of the allegations.”
In the year In 2019, state House leadership added workplace protections to the Chamber of Commerce rules for the first time, banning “unsolicited sexual contact, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical sexual conduct.”
The change came after two women accused a male lawmaker of physical and sexual abuse, but he continued to serve in the legislature until his term ended. One of the women was a state legislator and received a restraining order against him.
As Spotlight PA previously reported, the policy only covers public housing workers. That means individuals who regularly interact with lawmakers — such as other government employees, lobbyists, pollsters and journalists — can’t report allegations to the committee.
Perez wants the Legislature to adopt sexual assault and harassment policies, which would cover most people who come into contact with the Legislature in the course of their official duties.
“No one is above the law,” Perez said. “A lawmaker who harasses someone should be questioned by their peers through an ethical process.”
The state House and Senate will approve regulations on the first day of a new biennial legislative session after leaders hash out the details behind closed doors.
The upper part did on January 3, but the rules remain unfinished in the lower part. Democrats are awaiting the results of a special election expected to give them a one-vote majority — which would allow the party to pass the legislation unchallenged — while Republicans, facing internal divisions, have tried unsuccessfully to force the House back into session.
Rosie canceled future meetings of the state legislature and convened a bipartisan committee to negotiate the rules. According to the office, the listening tour was scheduled to “provide solutions to partisan gridlock” and chart a path to constitutional reform proposed to allow child sexual abuse survivors to stand trial.
The latter is a personal reason for Rosie, who himself is a survivor. He said Friday that he plans to hold at least two more hearings before releasing a package of legislation that “all Pennsylvanians should be proud of.”
The hearings provide a rare opportunity for public discussion about the laws, which will determine how easy or difficult it is for bills to become law and, in particular, disciplinary procedures for Perez and other advocates for lawmakers.
According to her testimony, Perez’s experience prompted a reaction in the Legislature. State Rep. Kate Klunk (R.York) last year proposed a change to the law that would have prohibited state House lawmakers from “sexual harassment while performing housing-related services or activities or engaging in any home-owned or leased property or facilities.” He said.
Perez said Clunk’s proposal, which he rejected, “is a move to change the culture of Harrisburg.”
As in the state House, state Senate rules only allow House lawmakers and staff to bring internal sexual-harassment complaints.
In early January, state Sens. Katie Mutt (D., Chester) and Lindsay Williams (D., Allegheny) pressed the chamber to pass legislation covering non-employees.
“Sen. “Mutt and I want to make sure everyone in that building is protected and has a safe place to report abuse,” Williams told Spotlight PA.
While the House’s efforts have failed, Senate Democrats are working on amending the internal ethics policy to increase sexual harassment protections for non-employees, Williams said.
Both pressures were supported by SEIU and many other labor unions and progressive advocacy groups.
In a letter to lawmakers in both chambers earlier this month, the coalition called for the law to be expanded.
“How the council chooses to govern itself is a message to all workplaces and employers in the state. It sets the standard by which the commonwealth will hold itself,” the letter said. [Klunk’s] The resolution tells the council that anyone who comes forward to advocate will be protected from harassment and that their safety is of the utmost concern.
90.5 WESA has partnered with Spotlight PA, a collaborative, reader-funded newsroom that produces responsible journalism for all of Pennsylvania. More on spotlightpa.org.