On the Hill

The Purple Campaign is asking Congress to make workplace harassment a priority on the legislative agenda

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2022

The Purple Campaign successfully advocated for language requiring the Department of Defense to adopt stronger anti-harassment and anti-sexual assault policies for its civilian workforce and uniformed service members alike. In the past, DOD’s efforts have been largely focused on responding to, rather than preventing, incidents of sexual assault. The legislation, titled the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act, is included in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. The new language focuses on accountability, survivor care and support, and improving prevention, climate and culture within the armed forces. Importantly, the legislation changes the way the military handles sexual assault and other serious crimes. Namely, it moves the decision to prosecute a serious crime — like sexual assault — out of the chain of command to trained military prosecutors and would require improved training and education about sexual assault in the military.

The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Act

Purple Campaign President Ally Coll joined renowned #MeToo reform advocate and television news anchor, Gretchen Carlson and Vice President for Legislative Affairs at Public Citizen, Lisa Gilbert, in support of Congresswomen Cheri Bustos’ latest sexual harassment reform bill: the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Act. The bill would void forced arbitration agreements that prevent sexual harassment survivors from getting the justice they deserve.

In November 2021 the House and Senate passed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Act out of committee, displaying the bipartisan support of this important legislation.

BE HEARD Act

Purple Campaign joined over 80 organizations in supporting the Bringing an End to Harassment by Enhancing Accountability and Rejecting Discrimination in the Workplace Act, otherwise known as the BE HEARD Act. The BE HEARD Act builds on and strengthens existing civil rights laws by expanding protections for workers, while also safeguarding existing anti-discrimination laws and protections. Among other things, the BE HEARD Act would provide resources to assist employers in preventing and addressing harassment; expand workplace protections against harassment and discrimination of workers at small businesses, independent contractors, interns, fellows, volunteers, and trainees; prohibit mandatory arbitration and pre-dispute nondisclosure agreements; and support research and data collection on workplace harassment. 

The bill was reintroduced on November 17, 2021 in the House and Senate. On the Senate side, Senators Patty Murray and Maizie Hirono reintroduced the bill with 20 cosponsors. On the House side, Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark reintroduced the bill with 72 cosponsors, including co-leads Representatives Ayanna Pressley, Elissa Slotkin, Sylvia Garcia, and Marilyn Strickland.

Judiciary Accountability Act (JAA)

On July 19, 2021, the Judiciary Accountability Act (JAA) was introduced in the House and Senate to protect employees of the federal judiciary from harassment and discrimination. Currently, Federal judicial branch employees are not protected by the foundational federal statutes — such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — that prohibit discrimination and retaliation. The JAA would provide an overhaul of accountability on these issues by promoting protections for Judiciary employees and protecting the integrity of the Judicial Branch. 

“This bill is a critical step forward that will ensure that the more than 30,000 employees of the federal judiciary have the basic statutory protections that are guaranteed in most other workplaces in America. It’s long past time for the judiciary to commit to living by the same principles and laws it requires other employers to abide by,” said Ally Coll, President & Co-Founder of The Purple Campaign.

The legislation was originally introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL), and has since been co-sponsored by numerous Senators from both parties. On November 4, 2021, The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the JAA out of committee.

State Harassment and Assault Prevention and Eradication Act (SHAPE)

The Purple Campaign has successfully advocated for the enactment of stronger anti-harassment workplace protections in federal workplaces through its support for the State Harassment and Assault Prevention and Eradication Act of 2020 (the “SHAPE Act”). The SHAPE Act aims to facilitate stronger anti-harassment and discrimination policies, survivor care, and accountability at the State Department. The Act would require the department to develop a comprehensive policy on the prevention of and response to harassment, discrimination, sexual assault, and related retaliation, establish an “Office of Employee Advocacy” to assist victims and provide a 24/7 hotline, and require both semiannual surveys of the department’s workplace culture and an annual report to Congress on claims and disciplinary action taken to hold perpetrators accountable, as well as climate survey results.

The Congressional Accountability Reform Act (CAA)

The Purple Campaign was active partner in advocating for the Congressional Accountability Reform Act (CAA), a bill Congress enacted in December 2018 to overhaul its workplace harassment policies in response to #MeToo. Passing this historic legislation was a huge achievement, but it took months of advocacy efforts to make it a reality. We launched the #CAANow action campaign to keep the pressure on Congress — and thanks to the unbelievable support of passionate advocates across the country, we won! In less than a year, we were able to establish better laws and provide thousands of Capitol Hill staffers with the basic workplace protections they deserve.

#MeToo: Movement on the Hill

We kicked off our latest action campaign at our June event — “#MeToo: Movement on the Hill” — at The Wing in D.C., featuring Congresswoman Cheri Bustos and Congresswoman Jackie Speier.  Prior to the start of the panel, we asked people to write their elected officials that #MeToo must remain a priority on Congress’s legislative agenda. We continued the call to action by providing people everywhere with five-step instructions on how they can contact their members of Congress from home. If you haven’t already, join us by writing your elected officials today.