The 19th News: What makes state legislatures uniquely prone to alleged harassment

Miranda Viscoli was used to seeing legislation change at the midnight hour. That’s what happened one Friday in 2017 when Viscoli, the co-president of New Mexicans for the Prevention of Gun Violence, was at the New Mexico capitol advocating for a bill that would “get guns out of the hands of domestic violence offenders” by requiring those involved in domestic violence situations to surrender their guns and be blocked from purchasing new ones while a protective order is in effect.

Minutes before Viscoli was set to testify on the floor of the state legislature, she said, state Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, who had just added language to the bill that ran counter to Viscoli’s goal, approached her. He pulled her into an area off the main floor situated between two glass doors, where no security cameras were present, and berated her.

“He got into my face — stuck his finger right in my face — and said, ‘Get your fucking shit together, Miranda,’” Viscoli remembers. She was so visibly shaken after the encounter that lawmakers canceled her testimony — and the vote. …

Dealing with alleged harassment in statehouses remains a maze of bureaucratic red tape that, despite efforts to improve processes, has left people in uncomfortable power dynamics or complete inaction after alleged sexual harassment or bullying.

In 2018, in the wake of the growing awareness for the #MeToo movement, 32 states introduced over 125 pieces of legislation to address sexual harassment in state legislatures, 37 of which were ultimately enacted or adopted. Twenty-nine states introduced an additional 100 pieces of legislation in 2019; of these, 29 have been adopted or enacted. And yet, state legislatures remain a place where harassment runs rampant.

The Associated Press kept track of all filings of complaints of harassment in state legislatures for one year, counting 76 reports made nationwide between 2017 and 2018; that tally had grown to 90 by 2019. A 2019 study published by a professor at Georgetown University’s Law Center found that the vast majority of government officials accused of sexual harassment and sexual violence are state senators and state representatives, with allegations more or less equally made against Republican and Democratic lawmakers. The overwhelming majority of these reports were women coming forward against men.

Heather Ferguson, the state director of Common Cause in New Mexico — a progressive voting rights and elections reform organization — spoke with investigators in the Ayana complaint. Ivey-Soto once referred to Ferguson and her co-director as “hips and lips,” and has publicly admitted to doing so. Ferguson said what concerns her the most is knowing that experiences like hers are happening around the country.

“In varying degrees, this is something that occurs in different statehouses based on the level of transparency on harassment, the tolerance level for harassment,” Ferguson said.

She calls the bullying and harassment of men lawmakers toward women  the “worst kept open secret.” In a state like New Mexico, where the political sphere is “extremely small,” Ferguson said coming forward with a complaint of harassment meant risking “having every bill you touch destroyed thereafter.”

“We are frustrated because we have a personal, vested interest in creating a safe work environment,” Ferguson said. “Our statehouse is supposed to be the people’s house. The public should feel safe there. I shouldn’t have to instruct my staff to not go into a senator’s office or be alone for fear of being harassed or bullied.”