House approves Pryor plan requiring sexual harassment training for state lawmakers

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana lawmakers would be required to take sexual harassment prevention training each year under a proposal authored by State Rep. Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis) that was approved today in the Indiana House of Representatives.

House members chose to include the plan offered by Pryor as an amendment to House Bill 1309, which is now eligible for third reading in the House.

At present, members of the Indiana House and Senate are not required to take sexual harassment training. Pryor’s amendment requires representatives and senators to complete at least one hour of such training each year.

“Right now, we require staff to take sexual harassment training, and I do not see why lawmakers should be excluded from that requirement,” Pryor said. “There have been a number of stories about sexual harassment across a wide spectrum, ranging from government to Hollywood, and I would very much like to see us not get those kinds of headlines in Indiana.”

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is in the process of producing an anti-harassment training video for use across the country, and legislative leaders have indicated they would like to use the video for training in Indiana.

“To be a public official means you must demonstrate the highest quality of character, since we do serve as a model for others to follow,” Pryor noted. “I see no reason that we shouldn’t demonstrate our commitment to those ideals by taking part in this kind of training, and sending a clear message that harassment of any kind will not be tolerated in the Indiana General Assembly.”