Colorado lawmakers to review policy on sexual harassment

DENVER — Colorado's highest-ranking legislators responded Tuesday to harassment complaints against lawmakers by announcing a formal review of their procedures for identifying, reporting and resolving sexual misconduct incidents at the Capitol.

The announcement by leaders of the Republican-led Senate and Democrat-led House comes after formal complaints were filed against two Democratic state representatives in recent weeks. Lawmakers have struggled to address the allegations as they also try to prepare for the 2018 legislative session that convenes in January.

Lawmakers and General Assembly staff will look at practices in other states and in the private sector. Issues include filing complaints, confidentiality, identifying patterns of harassment and annual training on behavior in the workplace. Lawmakers may hire an independent consultant to review existing procedures.

A starting date for the policy review has yet to be scheduled. Other expected participants include the Denver-based National Conference of State Legislatures, Attorney General Cynthia Coffman's office and victims' advocacy groups.

Read more: http://gazette.com/colorado-lawmakers-to-review-policy-on-sexual-harassment/article/1615716