Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

House creates subcommittee to address workplace respect issues

The House Chamber at the State Captiol. House Photography file photo
The House Chamber at the State Captiol. House Photography file photo

With a goal of ensuring that the House of Representatives is safe and respectful to employees, members and the public, a Subcommittee on Workplace Safety & Respect has been created.

"Discrimination and harassment have no place in the House," Speaker Kurt Daudt (R-Crown) said in a Wednesday statement. "This is a serious issue that requires serious examination by a formal committee. While we have taken steps to educate members and staff on discrimination and harassment, it is also critical to have a bipartisan group tasked with delivering recommendations so lawmakers can pass needed policy changes."

The group will be a subcommittee of the House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee. House Majority Leader Joyce Peppin (R-Rogers), the rules committee chair, will also chair the subcommittee.

"Creating a subcommittee allows this process to be transparent and inclusive so we can engage the public, and objective employment law professionals and other experts in the development of any policy changes,” Peppin said in the statement.

Members are scheduled to attend mandatory harassment training Feb. 21, the day after the 2018 session begins.

Amid allegations of sexual harassment, former Rep. Tony Cornish (R-Vernon Center) and former Sen. Dan Schoen (DFL-St. Paul Park) resigned from the Legislature in December. Special elections to fill the District 23B and Senate District 54 seats are scheduled Monday. 


Related Articles


Priority Dailies

Legislature — with budget incomplete — gavels out, prepares for special session
House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Republican Floor Leader Harry Niska speak with the media following the May 19 end of the regular legislative session. (Photo by Michele Jokinen) Some years, state legislative sessions surge to a climax on their final day, a flurry of activity providing a sustained adrenaline rush, culminating in smiles of satisfaction as...
Walz, lawmakers strike budget deal in session's final days
Gov. Tim Walz and three of four legislative leaders announce a bipartisan agreement on biennial budget targets during a May 15 press conference. (Photo by Andrew VonBank) With five days to go in the 2025 session, three of four legislative leaders announced a budget agreement Thursday that would sunset unemployment insurance for hourly school empl...