Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) today announced the reintroduction of the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA) Enhancement Act to expand upon the CAA Reform Act passed in 2018. Officially filed on March 26, 2026, the bill requires Members of Congress, not taxpayers, to foot the bill for discrimination or retaliation against staff, and requires that victims be on the same footing as Members when filing a claim. Joining Rep. Scanlon as a co-lead of the bill is Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14).

“All workers deserve a safe and respectful workplace — and public servants employed by Congress are no exception,” said Rep. Scanlon. “The CAA Enhancement Act combats discrimination in Congress by codifying and expanding the legal protections our staff deserve. By requiring that members of Congress be held personally liable for discrimination and harassment, this bill ensures that taxpayers do not foot the bill for holding lawmakers accountable.”

In December 2018, Congress took action to address workplace harassment and discrimination by passing the CAA Reform Act. It was one of Scanlon’s first votes after being sworn in on a special election following the resignation of her predecessor, after it was revealed he used taxpayer dollars to settle a sexual harassment case. Thanks to those changes, victims of harassment and discrimination are no longer subject to time-consuming administrative hurdles; interns and fellows have the same rights as permanent staff; and taxpayers no longer foot the bill for Members’ harassing behavior. A separate resolution also created the House Office of Employee Advocacy to provide legal representation for victims and mandated that offices adopt anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies. 

The CAA Enhancement Act builds on that progress by:

• Requiring Members of Congress be held personally liable for discrimination and related retaliation they personally commit. The CAA Reform Act made Members reimburse Treasury for awards and settlements for harassment and related retaliation, but not other forms of discrimination. This new bill would require that if a Member commits an act of discrimination, the Member must pay, not taxpayers.

• Requiring other legislative branch offices to repay Treasury for related retaliation. The CAA Reform Act required other legislative branch offices to repay the Treasury for awards and settlements in all employment discrimination cases. However, it did not require repayment of amounts paid in connection with retaliation; this bill corrects that.

• Requiring the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) to give claimants 10 days to cure deficient claims after the issuance of a preliminary report and prior to dismissal. Such a notice rule and right to amend are standard in other employment adjudicative forums.

• Enabling the Office of Employee Advocacy to have jurisdiction in federal court. This change will level the playing field by allowing the Office that represents victims in the CAA administrative process to also represent victims in court, just as the Office of House Employment Counsel (OHEC) is allowed to represent Member offices in court.

The CAA Enhancement Act is endorsed by: National Employment Law Project, National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, Equal Rights Advocates, National Partnership for Women and Families, Women Employed, and Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

Find the full bill text here.

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