Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson had pressed Congress to pass such a bill for the past five years

Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, flanked by senators who had just passed bipartisan legislation on sexual harassment claims, recalled Thursday when a friend told her five years ago that something good would come out of her lawsuit against Fox News CEO Roger Ailes.

“I didn’t really see it that way at the time, but it turns out she was right,” Carlson said. “A lot of good has come from my decision to come forward and speak for the millions of others who couldn’t. A lot of good has come forward from walking the halls of Congress for the last five years, working with both parties.”

The bill would give workers the opportunity to pursue sexual harassment and sexual assault claims in public courts, instead of being forced by employer arbitration agreements to pursue those claims in a confidential forum. Illinois Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos and New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have filed versions of the legislation in the past three sessions of Congress.