Rep. Frankel Combats Workplace Sexual Harassment

Press Release

Today, Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-21) highlighted the inclusion of two key provisions of her EMPOWER Act, which combats workplace sexual harassment, in two Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations bills.

Rep. Frankel successfully advocated for report language in the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill that directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to use a portion of this year's funding increase to develop and disseminate resource materials on trainings for employers to foster respectful workplaces free from harassment and discrimination.

In the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill, Rep. Frankel secured the inclusion of a provision that would prohibit private companies that receive federal funding through the bill from requiring non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as a condition of employment. NDAs are notoriously used to silence victims of workplace harassment and discrimination.

"All workers deserve a workplace that treats them with dignity and respect," said Rep. Frankel. "These provisions will help foster safe, respectful workplaces by providing resources for trainings to create healthier environments for workers, and by eliminating harmful NDA practices that silence victims of workplace harassment and rob them of their ability to seek the justice they deserve."

The Commerce, Justice, and Science and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bills passed out of the Appropriations Committee this week and will likely be brought to the House floor for a vote in the coming weeks.

The MPOWER Act is a comprehensive bipartisan bicameral workplace harassment and discrimination bill. Earlier this year, a provision of the EMPOWER Act passed the House in the ESG Tax Simplification Act, which would improve transparency for investors and consumers into the companies they support by requiring publicly traded companies to report annually on awards and settlements related to workplace harassment and discrimination. Rep. Frankel plans to reintroduce the full bill later this year.

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