A bipartisan bill that would dramatically change the U.S. employment landscape for victims of workplace sexual harassment is one step closer to becoming the law of the land.

On November 4, 2021, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to advance S. 2342, the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act. It now moves to the whole Senate, where it must receive a majority vote before it can be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Introduced by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), the bill would eliminate mandatory arbitration agreements in civil cases of sexual harassment and sexual assault, giving victims of workplace harassment the right to sue their employer in open court. The bill includes an exception for arbitration clauses in union contracts.