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Few have faith in the Michigan Legislature’s sexual harassment and discrimination policies. Can that be fixed? Updated 3:09 PM; Today 2:46 PM Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, stands for a portrait in the Lansing Capitol building on Tuesday April, 20, 2021 in Michigan. Nicole Hester/ MLive.comNicole Hester/ MLive.com Facebook Share Like other employers around the country, Michigan’s two legislative chambers have anti-harassment and discrimination policies in place aimed at giving the myriad of staff helping the Capitol function a means to report and resolve inappropriate behavior. But the House and Senate, in many ways, operate differently than an average workplace. The “workplace” might be the Capitol, a lawmaker’s Lansing or district office, a conference, an extracurricular event, a downtown bar. Late nights in close quarters abound on busy session days. There’s frequent interaction between staff and people outside the purview of the House an ....
The policy is expected to go into effect Monday. The Senate’s new policy extends protections to visitors, such as constituents, lobbyists, vendors, contractors, reporters and anyone that is on or within Senate property. That makes senators or staffers subject to disciplinary action if visitors are harassed and file complaints with the Senate Business Office. “It may not completely solve everything, but I think the goal is to obviously make improvements and to get us further towards a goal,” Chang said. “Ultimately, you can’t completely change a culture from policy, but we hope that it ll be much improved.” The new policy also spells out the process to report discrimination or sexual harassment. The Senate Business Office has created a flowchart to explain all the steps, which includes a complaint investigation by the director of the office. ....
Butt pinches, threesome requests and a glass ceiling: sexism is systemic in Michigan’s political culture Updated on 9:28 AM; Today 7:45 AM A woman stands underneath the glass ceiling on the ground level at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing Michigan. Nicole Hester/Mlive.com There’s a glass ceiling in the Michigan Capitol. Designed as a glass floor for the building’s rotunda, it’s a big draw for school groups and other Capitol visitors. Little girls lay on it, faces pressed to the cloudy glass to see if they can make out shapes moving one floor down. But to the women entering below – staff, consultants, public relations professionals, interns, journalists, lobbyists and lawmakers – it’s a visual reminder of what they’re pushing up against. ....