Committee Sends Klunk’s Sexual Harassment Disclosure Bill to the House

June 5, 2019

HARRISBURG – To protect employees from mandatory restrictive nondisclosure agreements, the House Labor and Industry Committee today approved bipartisan legislation to ban such agreements related to sexual harassment as a condition of employment, Rep. Kate Klunk (R-Hanover) announced.

“Pennsylvania workers deserve protection from workplace sexual harassment and the reassurance that allegations of such offences aren’t swept under the rug because of these agreements,” Klunk said. “That is why I worked with my Democratic colleague, Rep. Morgan Cephas of Philadelphia, on this important workers’ rights bill.”

Some people are forced to sign nondisclosure agreements that forbid them from talking about disputes, including sexual harassment claims, as a condition of working for certain companies. These agreements regarding sexual harassment prevent a victim of harassment from seeking justice and ultimately protect the perpetrator. Some of these agreements prevent an employee or prospective employee from even reporting or participating in an investigation of sexual harassment.

House Bill 849 would prohibit employers from requiring employees and prospective employees to sign a nondisclosure agreement related to sexual harassment as a condition of employment.

This would ensure workers who face sexual harassment in the workplace can exercise their voice to report such egregious offenses they may suffer at the hands of a co-worker or superior. Employees and employers would still be able to voluntarily enter into such agreements.

“This is a commonsense approach to giving victims a voice and ensuring those accused of sexual harassment face a fair and thorough investigation,” Klunk said. “I look forward to the bill being addressed by the full House.”

Representative Kate A. Klunk
169th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Greg Gross
717.260.6374
ggross@pahousegop.com
RepKlunk.com / Facebook.com/RepKlunk