Requiring each Member, officer, and employee of the House of Representatives to complete a program of training in workplace rights and responsibilities each session of each Congress, and for other purposes.
H. Res. 480 would require the House of Representatives to mandatory-train every Member, officer, and employee (including interns, fellows, and detailees) on workplace rights and responsibilities, with a focus on anti-discrimination and anti-harassment. The training must align with the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) and be administered by the Committee on House Administration (CHA). The measure adds an explicit determination that interns, fellows, and detailees are treated as House employees for purposes of the training requirement. It also provides a limited exception for those who already completed a similar program during new member orientation, and sets deadlines for when the training must be completed and certified. The CHA is tasked with issuing regulations and may establish alternative deadlines and additional compliance mechanisms.
Key Points
- 1All Members, officers, and employees of the House must complete a program of training in workplace rights and responsibilities (including anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training) under the CAA, as administered by the CHA.
- 2Interns, unpaid interns, fellows, and detailees serving in a House office are treated as employees for purposes of this requirement.
- 3An individual who completed a similar training during a prior new member orientation is exempt from this training in the first session of the applicable Congress.
- 4Deadlines: once the program is operational, Members/officers/employees must complete and file a certificate of completion within 90 days; other individuals must complete within 90 days after becoming a Member/officer/employee. The CHA may set alternative deadlines for interns/fellows and for members joining late in a session, and there is a specific 90-day deadline for the first session of the 119th Congress after adoption.
- 5The CHA may adopt additional mechanisms to ensure compliance with the training requirement.