The House of Representatives took a major step toward greater transparency on Tuesday, June 30, by voting to release records of past taxpayer-funded sexual misconduct settlements involving members of Congress.
Lawmakers approved a resolution from Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky that orders the House Ethics Committee and the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights to turn over names of members involved and the amounts spent.
House Votes 420-0 to Increase Transparency
It passed nearly unanimously, 420-0, with only Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, an outspoken advocate for victims of sexual harassment and assault, voting present.
Massie pushed the measure to bring daylight to how Congress handled complaints in the past.
“We need to know what’s been going on here in the House of Representatives in order to convince the people and assure the people that we are conducting the people’s business with the utmost integrity and treating the officers and employees of this institution with the respect that they deserve,” he told colleagues on the floor.
This push comes after years of criticism over secret payouts. Before 2018, taxpayers often covered settlements for harassment and misconduct claims against members and their offices.
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Congress changed the rules that year so lawmakers must pay many of those costs themselves. Still, questions lingered about older cases and whether everything had been disclosed.
Earlier this year, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed records from the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights.
Those documents showed more than $300,000 in taxpayer-funded settlements since 2007 tied to several former members.
The cases involved both Republicans and Democrats, including payouts linked to former members of Congress. Eric Massa, John Conyers, Blake Farenthold, and others. One additional release later added a large settlement connected to former Rep. Alcee Hastings.
What Information the Ethics Committee Must Release
Massie argued that gaps remain despite the 2018 reforms and wanted clear answers on all payouts from 1995 through the rule change.
The resolution gives the committees 60 days to preserve and publicly release the information.
Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, a Mississippi Republican, said during the vote that much of the material may already have been shared with Congress. Even so, he backed the resolution.
“Anything we can do to make sure that that information is readily available, we want to make that happen,” Guest said.
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Mace, who has led earlier efforts on this issue, voted present. She had previously used the Oversight subpoena to dig up records.
In a video after the vote, she called Massie’s resolution political theater since her work had already produced documents.
Mace has been vocal on victim issues. Earlier this year, she helped surface details of multiple six-figure and smaller payouts.
Some older files reportedly were destroyed under previous record-keeping rules, which limits full transparency.
How the 2018 Ethics Reforms Changed Congressional Rules
The vote follows a different outcome in March, when the House blocked a Mace-led resolution that would have required the Ethics Committee to release details of its own investigations into misconduct.
Top members of the committee warned that move could discourage victims from coming forward.
This year’s cases involving Reps. Tony Gonzales and Eric Swalwell also added new pressure.
Both were under serious allegations and left Congress amid clouds of controversy. Those cases illustrated how slowly the chamber can act on staff complaints.
In the past, before the 2018 changes, Congress spent millions of taxpayer dollars on such resolutions.
Exact figures vary from report to report, but advocates of reform say the old system too often protected powerful people.
What Happens During the 60-Day Disclosure Process
Tuesday’s vote suggests major agreement that more sunlight is needed, at least on the financial side. No one rose to speak against the measure on the floor.
Still, challenges remain as some records no longer exist. The Ethics Committee has said it does not directly handle the settlements themselves. Preserving transparency with victims’ privacy also remains tricky.
The resolution now heads to the committees for action, which could spark more debate about individual cases and whether further rule changes are needed.
