A bipartisan House effort is underway to fundamentally change how sexual misconduct and other bad behavior on Capitol Hill is identified, investigated and eradicated.<\/p>\n

But the widely-held goal of transforming the workplace culture of Congress could quickly run up against longstanding lawmaker resistance to tools necessary to police themselves, with some worried it will turn into another avenue for partisan mudslinging.<\/p>\n

Reps. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) and Teresa Leger Fern\u00e1ndez (D-N.M.), the chairs of their respective party\u2019s women\u2019s caucuses, have been working on legislation to change how the Ethics Committee functions and streamline the various processes by which staffers can report violations, with plans to unveil a framework in September after the summer recess.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am incredibly optimistic that when we get back into session that we will have a set of reforms that we can all agree on,\u201d Leger Fern\u00e1ndez said in an interview this past week.<\/p>\n

“We’ve been hard at work all summer, and we’re on track to unveil our proposal next month,” Cammack said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The rash of sexual misconduct allegations over the past year against male members of Congress that resulted in two resignations in the same week \u2014 from former Reps. Eric Swalwell of California and Tony Gonzales of Texas \u2014 has increased the urgency for action. Cammack and Leger Fern\u00e1ndez also have support from Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, giving their effort more legitimacy.<\/p>\n

Cammack said in an interview before the break she was in touch with Johnson\u2019s office \u201cevery single week\u201d on her collaboration with Leger Fern\u00e1ndez, describing the speaker as \u201cvery aggressive in trying to get this moved along.\u201d <\/p>\n

Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether lawmakers are prepared to make big changes that would open themselves and their aides up to more scrutiny amid fears the policies could stoke frivolous claims, finger-pointing and partisan witch hunts.<\/p>\n

The last major push to overhaul the congressional ethics process was in 2018, trailing the #MeToo movement a year earlier. Congress sent legislation to President Donald Trump\u2019s desk \u2014 which he signed into law \u2014 to hold lawmakers liable<\/u><\/a> for harassment and require them to reimburse the Treasury Department for settlements stemming from misconduct.<\/p>\n

That effort also established a voluntary mediation process for congressional staffers, giving employees the option to consult with a confidential adviser from the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights to walk them through the process.<\/p>\n

What the new law did not do was eliminate the convoluted maze of options where staffers can go to formally register their complaints: The bipartisan House Ethics Committee, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights or the Office of Congressional Conduct \u2014 the non-partisan investigative body that vets outside referrals and makes recommendations of official action to the Ethics Committee.<\/p>\n

Leger Fern\u00e1ndez said she wants her bill with Cammack to establish a \u201cone stop shop where somebody can know where to call, they’re talking to somebody who has trauma-informed training who will help them understand what the remedies and avenues are.\u201d<\/p>\n

“The current system failed the people it was supposed to protect, and everyone here knows it,” Cammack said. “Coming forward is extraordinarily difficult. Fear of retaliation and institutional pressure silence victims long before justice has a chance to speak.”<\/p>\n

They also are likely to recommend overhauling how the House Ethics Committee itself functions, including by addressing the speed at which the panel releases reports.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the panel has moved quickly. For instance, members issued a report<\/u><\/a> in early August finding Rep. Chuck Edwards participated in \u201cpersistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers\u201d \u2014 less than five months after allegations against the North Carolina Republican surfaced.<\/p>\n

The report recommended that Edwards be censured. While he has denied improper behavior, he also dropped his bid for reelection.<\/p>\n

But other inquiries pending before the Ethics Committee have languished<\/u><\/a>, such as the two-year-old probe into allegations that Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) violated campaign finance laws and omitted information from financial disclosures.<\/p>\n

Additional allegations involving Mills surfaced after a 2025 incident in which the Washington, D.C, Metropolitan Police Department responded to a report that Mills assaulted a woman he was in a relationship with that the House Ethics Committee is also investigating<\/u><\/a>. Mills has denied the allegations and said he has confidence in the congressional ethics process.<\/p>\n

Providing more resources to increase the number of investigative staff and setting stricter deadlines for producing reports could help speed up pending inquiries. But Cammack and Leger Fern\u00e1ndez also want to guarantee there are sufficient consequences for lawmakers when misconduct is determined. They plan to recommend that all members of the House be prohibited from having intimate relationships with any congressional staffer, not just those who work in their offices.<\/p>\n

The two women want to ensure punishments are meaningful and consistent across the board, too. In the case of Edwards, Leger Fern\u00e1ndez said, \u201cwe have an incredibly damning and disturbing Ethics Committee report of years of sexual harassment and all they\u2019re recommending is a censure. That, I do not think, is adequate.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is a need, she added, for a “stronger and clearer delineation of what happens when you violate the rules of Ethics.\u201d<\/p>\n