Florida Rep. Carlos Giménez’s office settled an employment discrimination claim to the tune of $25,000 last year, according to new records from the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights.
His was the only lawmaker’s office to settle a workplace discrimination complaint last year, the OCWR’s annual reports show. The public record, first reported by NOTUS, says little about the nature of the claim.
“I’m not going to comment on that. It’s pretty self-explanatory. I wasn’t involved in any way, shape or form,” Giménez, a Republican, told NOTUS on Capitol Hill on Monday evening.
Giménez’s office did not respond to a detailed list of questions asking about the settlement, but the report shows it was related to a section of federal law that prohibits discrimination based on an employee’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability status.
It’s the latest of the more than $300,000 paid out over the last five years to congressional staffers to settle workplace disputes in lawmakers’ offices. The Congressional Research Service stated in 2019 that the funds generally come from a U.S. Treasury account that receives appropriations from Congress to resolve discrimination and harassment claims.
In 1995, the Congressional Accountability Act granted labor protections to legislative branch staffers and set up the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, formerly the Office of Compliance, to enforce them, but the settlements, which are paid for using public funds, were not disclosed until Congress changed the law in 2018.
Now, Congress’ workplace-protection law requires the OCWR to release annual reports of settlements, and it holds lawmakers “personally liable for awards and settlements resulting from acts of harassment and retaliation committed by them,” meaning offending members have to reimburse the Treasury within 90 days.
The OCWR’s report states “N/A” for all fields relating to the settlement’s reimbursement, which supports that Giménez didn’t personally commit the alleged discriminatory act that resulted in the settlement. Additionally, the amended Congressional Accountability Act requires that any claims of harassment committed by members be referred to their chamber’s Ethics Committee.
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Emily Kennard and Claire Heddles are NOTUS reporters and Allbritton Journalism Institute fellows.