(1) The Legislative Equity Officer shall at least once each calendar quarter conduct a minimum of two hours of respectful workplace training, including training on:

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(a) Legislative branch workplace harassment avoidance policies and rules;

(b) Legislative branch procedures and rules for reporting or filing complaints to address instances of harassment; and

(c) Free speech and free expression rights guaranteed under the Oregon and United States Constitutions.

(2) The training described in subsection (1) of this section must be attended annually by all legislators, legislative staff, legislative interns, legislative volunteers and lobbyists who are required to register with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. Employees of contractors who reasonably expect to be regularly present in the State Capitol must also attend the training described in subsection (1) of this section. Executive branch and judicial branch personnel who are regularly present in the State Capitol may be invited to attend the training. The Legislative Equity Officer shall record attendance at the trainings and shall make attendance records publicly available.

(3)(a) The Legislative Equity Officer shall make the training described in subsection (1) of this section available online. The officer shall maintain records of all persons who have taken online training.

(b) The online training described in this subsection is intended to be a last-resort alternative to the in-person training described in subsection (1) of this section. Except for a registered lobbyist whose principal office is outside of this state, an individual required to attend training under this section may substitute online training for in-person attendance only once in any two-year period.

(4)(a) The Legislative Equity Officer shall strive to present the training in small group settings and employ best practices to maximize attendance at in-person trainings.

(b) Of the trainings described in subsection (1) of this section, at least one training session annually shall be on basic requirements under legislative branch personnel rules and at least one training session annually shall be an in-depth focus on one of the following topics:

(A) Conduct that constitutes harassment under legislative branch personnel rules or other law;

(B) Specific guidance addressing subtle forms of discrimination and harassment that become unlawful because of the pervasiveness of the conduct;

(C) Available methods of reporting harassment;

(D) Supervisor obligations to report harassment;

(E) The authority every individual has to withdraw consent to intimate conduct and the challenges associated with consensual relationships in the workplace;

(F) Examples of positive workplace behaviors and constructive working relationships;

(G) Skills necessary for individuals to become active bystanders who promote culture change and oppose harassing behavior they observe in the workplace;

(H) Methods for discouraging behavior that does not promote a productive and inclusive work environment;

(I) The human impact and harm to the work environment that harassment causes; or

(J) Free speech and free expression rights guaranteed under the Oregon and United States Constitutions.

(5) The Legislative Equity Officer may contract with other persons or entities with experience performing harassment avoidance and respectful workplace training for the performance of the training described in this section.

(6) The Legislative Equity Officer shall employ best practices in:

(a) Developing training content described in this section and delivery methodologies for the training content; and

(b) Writing and publishing written guidance on Legislative Branch Rules and policies relating to:

(A) Promoting a respectful and inclusive workplace;

(B) Reporting or filing complaints about harassing, discriminatory or retaliatory behavior, or other behavior prohibited by branch rules or policies; and

(C) Understanding options available to those who are experiencing behavior prohibited by branch rules or policies.

(7) The Legislative Equity Officer shall consult with the Legislative Administrator and the committee described in ORS § 173.921 (2) in the development of respectful workplace training. [2019 c.604 § 7; 2019 c.604 § 9]