NY Lawmakers Accused Of Sexual Misconduct Since 2017

ALBANY, NY — Two New York lawmakers are among more than 100 across the country now accused of sexual misconduct in the four years since the onset of the national “#MeToo” reckoning in 2017, according to data collected by The Associated Press.

The state lawmakers are among other politicians, entertainers and business leaders exposed in the social justice movement to end sexual abuse and sexual harassment. The movement began in 2017 when movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, now a convicted sex offender, was accused by more than 80 women of sexual misconduct allegations dating back to the late 1970s.

The movement that inspired the #MeToo hashtag also prompted a flurry of new legislation, training requirements for legislators and investigative guidelines in statehouses across America, including in New York.

The AP compiled the database as part of its ongoing coverage of how politicians are responding to sexual misconduct claims. It includes state lawmakers only.

It doesn’t include members of Congress or other elected officials investigated regarding sexual misconduct claims — notably New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is embroiled in a sexual harassment investigation, or Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, who was initially investigated in connection with sex trafficking and now faces a larger review into public corruption.

Some of the allegations against state lawmakers are no less serious.

Nationally, more than 40 of the accused state lawmakers have resigned or were expelled from office, and at least as many others faced other repercussions, including the loss of committee leadership positions, The AP reported. A handful were cleared.

The lawmakers included in the database are predominantly men, but a couple of women also have been accused of sexual misconduct. Both Democrats and Republicans are the subjects of what could be career-ending investigations.

In New York:

• Former Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin, who represented portions of Rensselaer, Columbia and Washington counties, was formally sanctioned in November 2017 by a legislative ethics panel after allegations that he asked a female legislative staffer for nude photos and leaked her name when she filed a harassment complaint. He resigned his seat in January 2018 to become a Rensselaer County executive, according to Ballotpedia.
• Former Sen. Jeff Klein, who represented parts of the Bronx and Westchester County, was accused in January 2018 of sexual harassment for allegedly forcibly kissing a former Independent Democratic Conference staff member in 2015. Klein asked for an investigation by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics. He subsequently lost the Democratic primary and general election in 2018 to challenger Alessandra Biaggi.

About three-fourths of the states have passed some 75 laws and resolutions over the past two years that target sexual harassment, abuse or assault in government or in private business. About half the states renewed or extended deadlines to pursue criminal charges or civil lawsuits over childhood sexual abuse.

In New York, the legislation includes:

• In 2018, budget legislation created a uniform sexual harassment policy for employees of state and local governments, as well as state contractors and freelancers. It prohibited secret harassment settlements involving state officials and directed the state labor agency to create a new standard for sexual harassment policies for private companies. For private companies, it also prohibited mandatory arbitration of sexual harassment claims.
• In 2019, legislation extended the deadline to file sexual harassment complaints from one to three years; prohibited employers from requiring mandatory arbitration of harassment or discrimination claims; stated that nondisclosure agreements can't bar people from filing harassment or discrimination complaints with local or state agencies or from testifying in government investigations; eliminated the need to prove that conduct was "severe and pervasive" to win harassment cases in court.
• In 2019, legislation created a one-year window for people to file lawsuits alleging childhood sex offenses that had previously been barred by the statute of limitations; for future cases, extended the deadline to file such lawsuits until age 55 and to seek criminal charges until age 28, instead of age 23 under the previous law.

States also updated their sexual harassment policies and required training of lawmakers on appropriate workplace conduct. At least 45 House chambers and 43 Senate chambers now require legislators to receive training on appropriate workplace conduct and on preventing, identifying and reporting sexual misconduct.

About half of state legislative chambers have turned to independent investigators to look into complaints of sexual misconduct and harassment by lawmakers.

New York requires training for state lawmakers, and all accusations of sexual misconduct require an external investigation.