WHEREAS, Unwanted sexual language, suggestions, innuendo, and advances are hurtful, demeaning, and inappropriate in any work environment; and

WHEREAS, Sexual harassment has longstanding and damaging consequences for people who are subjected to it; and

WHEREAS, The cost of sexual harassment includes decreased productivity and increased turnover, and hurts the organization's reputation; and

WHEREAS, The Washington state House of Representatives and Washington state Senate have long-standing policies prohibiting sexual harassment; and

WHEREAS, It is difficult for aggrieved persons to report sexual harassment in any environment; and

WHEREAS, The legislative environment is unique in that it places an exceptionally high value on the effective exercise of power; and

WHEREAS, The use of power to harass any individual is an absolute misuse of power; and

WHEREAS, Ending sexual harassment in the legislature is best achieved by use of a collaborative effort among everyone in the legislative community, including legislators, staff, and lobbyists; and

WHEREAS, The Washington state House of Representatives and Washington state Senate aspire to be models for safety, security, trust, and respect among legislators, staff, lobbyists, and the general public; and

WHEREAS, The Secretary of the Senate has engaged representatives from the various staff work groups to form a task force, with a directive to review current Senate workplace culture and related policies; and

WHEREAS, That task force must make recommendations to the Secretary of the Senate regarding suggested policy changes and education needed to foster a culture of respect within the Senate; and

WHEREAS, The Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives has engaged staff in the work groups of the House to review workplace culture and related policies; and

WHEREAS, The staff-driven review of the workplace culture and policies of the House of Representatives will result in recommendations to the Executive Rules Committee;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives of the state of Washington, the Senate concurring, That a legislative task force on sexual harassment in the legislature be created, to be called the Unified Table on Sexual Harassment; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Unified Table on Sexual Harassment task force be organized according to this Concurrent Resolution:

(1) The task force shall consist of fourteen members:

(a) Two members from each of the two largest caucuses of the Senate, appointed by the caucus leaders;

(b) Two members from each of the two largest caucuses of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House;

(c) Four lobbyists, appointed by the legislative members of the task force;

(d) The Secretary of the Senate or the Secretary's designee; and

(e) The Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Chief Clerk's designee.

(2) The task force must choose two cochairs, one from each chamber, from among its legislative membership to collaborate with the neutral facilitator on agendas and action items for each meeting.

(3) The task force shall review and make recommendations regarding:

(a) Cultural changes that lead to the prevention of sexual harassment and the protection of members of the legislative community, including adoption of a code of conduct;

(b) The unique organizational challenges of the legislature, including the power dynamic between elected officials and other members of the legislative community; and

(c) Education and training for members of the legislative community about sexually harassing behavior and prevention.

(4) The task force shall submit recommendations on these issues to the Facilities and Operations Committee of the Senate and the Executive Rules Committee of the House of Representatives by December 1, 2018.

(5) The Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives shall provide operational support to the task force and must contract with a facilitator with a background in developing respectful professional cultures and eliminating workplace bullying, discrimination, and harassment to provide support to the task force. Additional staff support for the task force will be provided by the offices of Senate and House counsel.

(6) Legislative members of the task force are reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members are not entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses if they are elected officials or are participating on behalf of an employer, governmental entity, or other organization. Any reimbursement for other nonlegislative members is subject to chapter 43.03 RCW.

(7) The expenses of the task force must be paid jointly by the Senate and the House of Representatives. Task force expenditures are subject to approval by the Senate Facilities and Operations Committee and the House of Representatives Executive Rules Committee.

(8) All meetings of the task force shall be scheduled and conducted in accordance with requirements of both the Senate and House of Representatives; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That while the Unified Table on Sexual Harassment works to meet the objectives stated herein, the offices of Senate and House counsel will continue to serve as a resource to any member of the legislative community on issues related to harassment, should such issues arise; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the task force expires December 31, 2018.

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