HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania legislature has quietly paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past five years to settle sexual harassment and other claims against lawmakers and staffers, Spotlight PA has learned through open records requests. Many of the settlements include controversial secrecy clauses and other provisions that prevent public disclosure of the agreement.

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In all, the state House and Senate paid out $279,361 between 2017 and September of this year to settle 11 disputes, which ranged from a disagreement over office lease payments to racial discrimination and sexual harassment complaints. Nearly all settlements named either individual caucuses or chambers within the legislature, while six also singled out current or former lawmakers. Of the 11 settlements, seven included strict confidentiality promises or provisions preventing the parties involved from speaking negatively about each other.

One settlement, resolving a sexual harassment claim leveled by a female former top state Senate security officer against her then-boss, included additional covenants preventing her from divulging personnel and other information she may have obtained over the course of her employment.

State Rep. Abby Major (R., Armstrong), one of the legislature’s most outspoken advocates for strengthening workplace protection policies and transparency around the process, said she was not surprised that the General Assembly harbored a list of little-known settlements.