WASHINGTON, D.C. – National Women’s Soccer League representative and Houston Dash defender Katie Naughton is scheduled to speak on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning.
Naughton, who will be part of a virtual press conference that will announce the reintroduction of an important workplace bill.
Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21) will host that conference with Representatives Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del) and Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) to announce the reintroduction of the bipartisan, bicameral Ending the Monopoly of Power Over Workplace harassment through Education and Reporting (EMPOWER) Act.
The Representatives will be joined by actress and activist, Rosanna Arquette, who has publicly spoken out about the abuse she endured by producer Harvey Weinstein, Naughton, who participated in forced game stoppage to advocate and elevate this issue, and Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, to discuss the importance of this comprehensive legislation.
The EMPOWER Act will increase transparency and accountability surrounding workplace harassment.
It would ban the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as a condition of employment, in order to empower workers to speak out about harassment, require annual reporting on harassment payouts, end the tax penalty on survivors, close loopholes in the tax code that allow companies to benefit from payouts.
The legislation also will direct the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to create and disseminate resources to help foster safe and respectful workplaces.
