When Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) arrived at Ramstein Air Base in Germany as the new base commander in 2008, he discovered that allegations of sexual assault were high among those serving at the base. He immediately acted to address that issue and is now taking steps to address the same issue in Congress.

“It is totally unacceptable that at least $15 million has been paid out to cover up sexual harassment allegations and has been done so without transparency,” said Rep. Bacon.  “Citizens deserve to know which elected officials are involved and those who are guilty should have to pay the fines- not the taxpayer.  Congress should set the standard.”

To set the standard, Rep. Bacon is a cosponsor of Congresswoman Jackie Speier's bill, H.R. 4396 the Member and Employee Training and Oversight On (ME TOO) Congress Act.  This bill will give transparency to citizens when payments are made, makes Members of Congress responsible for payments, and requires sexual harassment prevention training for all Members of Congress and staff.  It will prohibit the imposition of non-disclosure agreements unless all parties agree to it as part of a negotiated settlement.

“As a five-time commander in the Air Force, I vigorously took actions to fight sexual assault and provide a safe and respectful environment for all Airmen,” added Rep. Bacon. “When I was base commander at Ramstein Air Base, I implemented a two-step solution to address the problem. First, all rape accusers, if willing to testify, should have their day in court. Second, those convicted of rape would have their names and prison sentences distributed widely around base. This program was later ranked by the Air Force as its number one sexual assault program.”

Rep. Bacon is also a cosponsor of a House Resolution, introduced by Rep. Speier and Rep. Barbara Comstock requiring sexual assault and harassment training for every Member of Congress and staff. Rep. Bacon’s staff have all completed sexual assault and harassment awareness training, including the Congressman himself, prior to the training becoming a requirement.  

“This is a non-partisan issue and we must be proactive in combatting sexual assault and harassment,” said Rep. Bacon. “I am glad to support both pieces of legislation.”