ORS 173.924 Reporting harassment to Legislative Equity Officer

The Legislative Equity Officer shall be available to receive information from any individual about harassing behavior occurring in the State Capitol or involving legislators, legislative staff, lobbyists or others who are present in the State Capitol or who engage with legislators, legislative staff or lobbyists, whether in the State Capitol or elsewhere.

The Legislative Equity Officer shall provide confidential process counseling to individuals who believe they have experienced or observed harassment, including but not limited to:

Providing information on legislative branch personnel rules, policies and reporting processes; and

Providing information on the extent to which information may be kept confidential or may be subject to disclosure.

If the Legislative Equity Officer receives information concerning conduct that is inconsistent with a respectful workplace policy adopted by the Joint Committee on Conduct but that does not rise to the level of creating a hostile work environment or violating public accommodation law, the officer shall refer the reporter to the Legislative Administrator.

The Legislative Equity Officer may not engage in any investigation following a report or complaint alleging harassment or following any consultation described in subsection (1) or (2) of this section.

The Legislative Equity Officer may not share any information acquired during a disclosure or consultation made confidential by legislative rule with an independent investigator performing services under ORS 173.912, except that nonpersonally identifiable information may be disclosed to facilitate the taking of any action that is consistent with legislative rules and with the principles of the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution.