Outside view: Washington state Legislature should take sexual harassment seriously

The following editorial is from the Yakima Herald-Republic:

The nation appears to have reached a long-overdue tipping point on sexual abuse and assault by powerful men against vulnerable young women and, in some case, young men. It seems a different day brings a different name: Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., Roy Moore and – closer to home, former Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. These alarming stories reflect an entrenched, male-dominated system in which victims were reluctant to come forward for fear of ridicule or of undermining their careers.

Almost all these cases carry the disturbing narrative that their behavior was an open secret in their quarters, whether in the dressing rooms of movie sets or cloakrooms of courthouses and capitols. Rumors had been floating about for years, and yet good people could not muster the will to confront the perpetrators.

Lest folks here complacently pass this off as the outgrowth of bohemian Hollywood or backwoods Alabama, we should note that Washington state has its own scandal of sexual power plays in our not-so-shining seat of state government.

Earlier this month, The News Tribune and The Olympian newspapers, along with Northwest News Network, reported on a number of incidents told by women who work at the Capitol in Olympia. A longtime lobbyist said a Republican senator pulled her toward him, looked down her blouse and told her she looked “real good,” and two other women reported being touched on the buttocks. Other women said politically powerful men frequently make comments about their appearance that make them uncomfortable.

The accusations cross party lines. Allegations of inappropriate behavior also have focused on two former Democratic state representatives who left the Legislature in 2011. The joint investigation found that women at the Capitol still keep an unofficial list of four to five lawmakers and lobbyists that women are advised to avoid being alone with. In a narrative that is sadly familiar, the women fear professional repercussions if they make a report.

There are signs that the silence is about to end. In the wake of the investigative story, more than 170 women – a bipartisan group of former and current lawmakers, lobbyists and legislative staffers – signed a letter stating that inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment must cease. Addressed to Democratic and Republican legislative leaders, the letter says in part, “At some point in our lives, every one of us has experienced, witnessed, and counseled others through unwanted advances or a range of dehumanizing behavior – from innuendo to groping, from inappropriate comments and jokes to unwanted touching and assault.”

Legislative leaders and the governor’s office say they take the issue seriously and will take steps to address it. Well, here’s one suggestion for legislators: Follow a law that applies to others in government, but not you.

That state Public Records Act requires state agencies and local governments to release information about employees who are investigated and disciplined for sexual harassment or assault. The Legislature has exempted itself from the act’s provisions, imperiously claiming that elected officials shouldn’t be held to the same account as other state employees. This practice faces a court challenge from 10 news organizations including the Seattle Times, parent company of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

This is absurd – and in light of events of the past weeks, embarrassing. The tawdry events are happening right in Olympia and right now. Legislators, who will convene for another session in the Capitol in less than two months, can do something about it – not only to address a hostile work environment for too many people, but to send a strong signal to the public that this behavior cannot be tolerated.

This should be an easy vote for the Legislature to take – and an even easier vote for the electorate to track when our legislators are up for re-election in 2018 and 2020.