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Lawmakers in Pennsylvania’s General Assembly are calling for more accountability for complaints into sexual harassment following allegations lodged earlier this year against a member of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration who resigned a week ago.A former coworker of Mike Vereb, the governor’s former secretary for legislative affairs, accused Vereb of subjecting her to lewd and misogynistic language and unwanted sexual advances during a brief time with the governor’s administration. She lodged the complaint, of which a copy was obtained by WGAL, with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission earlier this year.Vereb resigned last week, and news reports emerged on the complaint and allegations made against him.Rep. Abby Major (R-Armstrong County) said she had been in contact with the woman who filed the complaint for months and said she’d been working with and supporting the accuser through the situation.”I know she was going through the process. She spoke with her superiors and his superiors, and we’re trying to work it through that process. We wanted to give everyone the opportunity to do it the right way and quietly because no one wants to be in the press talking about these things. We’d rather it just get taken care of,” she said.Major, who earlier this year publicly alleged harassment at the hands of another state lawmaker who later resigned, said there is a changing culture in Harrisburg regarding sexual harassment and preventing it. But Major also said she would like to see reforms to the process by which victims can bring forth accusations, including firm timeframes for investigations and the release of some sort of findings to improve accountability.”I think we need to see a real change to the way things work around here. Instead of just covering it up and just paying these women out with taxpayer dollars with no real consequences to the men itself, I think it’s really important that we discuss how that process works,” she said.Senate President Pro Tem Kim Ward, in a statement, called the allegations detailed in the complaint “appalling” and questioned the amount of time in between when the accusations were formally made, and Vereb’s resignation was tendered.”One of our greatest responsibilities as elected officials is to ensure the people of Pennsylvania are safe and secure. That includes the talented people who work for us,” she said. “The onus is on us as leaders to create a safe workplace culture.”A spokesman for Shapiro said the administration cannot comment on personnel issues and that an existing process is in place to handle these types of complaints. But he also said the administration “takes allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously. Robust procedures are in place for thoroughly investigating reports of discrimination and harassment.”
Lawmakers in Pennsylvania’s General Assembly are calling for more accountability for complaints into sexual harassment following allegations lodged earlier this year against a member of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration who resigned a week ago.
A former coworker of Mike Vereb, the governor’s former secretary for legislative affairs, accused Vereb of subjecting her to lewd and misogynistic language and unwanted sexual advances during a brief time with the governor’s administration. She lodged the complaint, of which a copy was obtained by WGAL, with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission earlier this year.
Vereb resigned last week, and news reports emerged on the complaint and allegations made against him.
Rep. Abby Major (R-Armstrong County) said she had been in contact with the woman who filed the complaint for months and said she’d been working with and supporting the accuser through the situation.
“I know she was going through the process. She spoke with her superiors and his superiors, and we’re trying to work it through that process. We wanted to give everyone the opportunity to do it the right way and quietly because no one wants to be in the press talking about these things. We’d rather it just get taken care of,” she said.
Major, who earlier this year publicly alleged harassment at the hands of another state lawmaker who later resigned, said there is a changing culture in Harrisburg regarding sexual harassment and preventing it.
But Major also said she would like to see reforms to the process by which victims can bring forth accusations, including firm timeframes for investigations and the release of some sort of findings to improve accountability.
“I think we need to see a real change to the way things work around here. Instead of just covering it up and just paying these women out with taxpayer dollars with no real consequences to the men itself, I think it’s really important that we discuss how that process works,” she said.
Senate President Pro Tem Kim Ward, in a statement, called the allegations detailed in the complaint “appalling” and questioned the amount of time in between when the accusations were formally made, and Vereb’s resignation was tendered.
“One of our greatest responsibilities as elected officials is to ensure the people of Pennsylvania are safe and secure. That includes the talented people who work for us,” she said. “The onus is on us as leaders to create a safe workplace culture.”
A spokesman for Shapiro said the administration cannot comment on personnel issues and that an existing process is in place to handle these types of complaints.
But he also said the administration “takes allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously. Robust procedures are in place for thoroughly investigating reports of discrimination and harassment.”
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