For Immediate Release: November 4th, 2021
Contact: JON CARVALHO

PRESS RELEASE:

Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Federal Bipartisan Legislation to End Forced Arbitration in Cases of Sexual Harassment and Abuse

WASHINGTON, DC– This morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced bipartisan federal legislation, the End Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 (S. 2342), supported by the nonprofit Lift Our Voices, which advocates for an end to NDAs and forced arbitration around workplace harassment.

Sponsored by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the legislation aims to end forced arbitration and the abuse it enables, on behalf of sexual assault and harassment survivors. The bill added several co-sponsors from both parties today.

Gretchen Carlson, journalist, advocate, and co-founder of Lift Our Voices, whose lawsuit against former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes spurred a national discussion around the issue, attended the hearing and spoke with Senators. Carlson spearheaded the bipartisan legislation and has worked to pass it for the past five years. She issued the following statement on today’s advancement of S. 2342:

“I’m grateful to the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for advancing this bipartisan legislation, S. 2342. This is an historic opportunity to end silencing mechanisms that prevent survivors from speaking out, and it will allow survivors the ability to speak openly and protect others in workplaces across the country,” said Carlson. “I thank the Committee members for their support of this legislation and their hard work to advance it.”

ABOUT LOV

Lift Our Voices was launched in December 2019 to create positive, systemic change in American workplaces through the eradication of nondisclosure agreements for toxic work issues and mandatory arbitration clauses. Created and launched by Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky, and Diana Falzone, LOV’s mission is to protect American workers by giving those in toxic work environments the freedom to speak freely about their workplace experiences and free them from the laws and business practices that prevent employees from publicly discussing toxic workplace conditions.

For more information on Lift Our Voices, visit https://www.liftourvoices.org/ and visit their Facebook and Twitter pages.