美国国家公共电台 NPR Time Is Running Short For Congress' Sexual Harassment Bill

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

For months, Congress has promised to overhaul¹ how it handles allegations of sexual misconduct against its own. But for all the energy around the Me Too movement, nothing has changed on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers say they will pass something in this lame-duck session. As NPR congressional reporter Kelsey Snell explains, time is running out.

KELSEY SNELL, BYLINE²: Back in 2013, Lauren Greene loved working in Congress until, she says, her boss, former Republican Congressman³ Blake Farenthold of Texas, harassed⁴ her. It got even worse when she tried to file a complaint using a system that only exists for Congress.

LAUREN GREENE: You just kind of feel like the power is stacked against you, the odds⁵ are stacked against you. It was incredibly isolating⁶. It was just a very difficult time.

SNELL: Farenthold is accused of making explicit⁷ sexual remarks to staffers, talking about their appearance and their bodies - all accusations⁸ he denies, though he did eventually step down. And Greene was sent to the Office of Compliance⁹, an obscure part of Congress, to start a secretive process that dragged on for months.

She ended up hiring a lawyer and settled with Farenthold. But in the process, she missed out on jobs. She had to move and was made to sign a nondisclosure agreement that kept her from talking to anyone about the case, even her mom

GREENE: Kind of looking back on it, it was sad that I didn't even know what my rights were at the time.

SNELL: The process was so opaque¹⁰ that since 1997, Congress has spent at least $15 million to settle complaints about harassment¹¹ or discrimination, a fact that didn't even come to light until late last year at the height of the Me Too movement. Earlier this year, the House and Senate each easily passed very different bills to change the system.

For instance, the House would hold members personally liable for many accusations. The Senate wouldn't. They disagree about who should run the investigations¹², how long they should take and if there should be a cap on how much can be paid in damages. But negotiators like Republican Senator Roy Blunt say they're nearing a deal, and something has to happen this year so lawmakers know what to expect.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ROY BLUNT: I think it's really important to start the next Congress with a clear understanding of what their responsibilities are and what their liabilities are.

SNELL: There's additional pressure because more than half a dozen members have resigned or have been accused of sexual misconduct in the past year alone. California Congresswoman Jackie Speier has helped lead the negotiations¹³ for Democrats¹⁴ in the House. And she says the two sides agree on major things, like providing legal representation for accusers and launching mandatory¹⁵ training for staff and members.

JACKIE SPEIER: We're changing the dynamic so dramatically and protecting the staffers on Capitol Hill for the first time in a meaningful way.

SNELL: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she realizes the final bill might fall short, but she says the House can fill in the gaps later.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

NANCY PELOSI: We then can pass bills ourselves that apply to the House, and I think that would put some pressure on the Senate to do the same.

SNELL: That's not good enough for many advocates and harassment victims. Greene's attorney, Les Alderman, says he worries that some in Congress will just declare victory and move on.

LES ALDERMAN: I think people are going to lose the will to take on the big changes, and they'll also lose the public pressure to do so.

SNELL: Greene says she's worried that Congress won't do enough, particularly when it comes to making sure that a person making the accusations has control over how much information is made public. But she's glad that Congress realizes the system that they have now isn't right and isn't fair.

GREENE: I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that there was another staffer out there who was also dealing¹⁶ with this.

SNELL: Lawmakers say they hope a compromise can pass in the next few weeks to make sure that a new law is in place before the new Congress takes office in January. Kelsey Snell, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF THOM SONNY GREEN'S "VIENNA")

1 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

4 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

5 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

6 isolating   

adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析

参考例句：

• Colour filters are not very effective in isolating narrow spectral bands. 一些滤色片不能很有效地分离狭窄的光谱带。 来自辞典例句
• This became known as the streak method for isolating bacteria. 这个方法以后就称为分离细菌的划线法。 来自辞典例句

7 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

8 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

9 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

10 opaque   

adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的

参考例句：

• The windows are of opaque glass.这些窗户装着不透明玻璃。
• Their intentions remained opaque.他们的意图仍然令人费解。

11 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

12 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

13 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

14 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

16 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。