Accused on Capitol Hill: How Harassment Claims Against Members of Congress Work
A bipartisan House group is rewriting Congress's sexual harassment rules after a run of ethics cases. Here is how a staff claim, an ethics inquiry and a member's personal liability actually work today.
October 24, 2026 · 3 min read
By Jocelyn C. Stewart
Congress is rewriting its own sexual harassment rules. A bipartisan House group plans to release proposals after the Nov. 3 election, following a year in which several members faced ethics inquiries over alleged sexual misconduct. If you are accused on the Hill, the system you face today has its own deadlines, its own rules and its own price tag.
The review. Reps. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., and Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., lead the effort, according to The Associated Press, via ABC News, and Roll Call, which reported in July that House leaders tapped the pair. The AP says recommendations will follow the election, with a goal of acting before year's end.
What could change. The AP reports the group is weighing more time than the current 180 days to file a claim, a single place to report, and extending the ban on members' sexual relationships with their own staff to all congressional staff. Changing the underlying law would need the Senate, the AP notes. Roll Call reported the group was also weighing a House-only resolution, which would not.
The cases behind it. The AP and Roll Call both report that Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, resigned this year while the House Ethics Committee examined sexual misconduct allegations. Neither report I read includes a response from either man. Both outlets also report the committee is investigating Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., over alleged sexual misconduct involving a House staffer. Gomez says the conduct was consensual and broke no law or House rule, as the AP, Roll Call and NPR report. These are allegations only. Facts about named members here appear in at least two of these reports unless one outlet is named.
Why it matters. A staff claim and an ethics inquiry are separate tracks. Each has its own clock.
Her law firm's website explains new rights to appeal adverse findings of sexual harassment in the military.