Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, is introducing legislation to rein in the abuse of non-disclosure, confidentiality, and non-disparagement agreements in the workplace and create new protections for employees whose professional images are used for illegitimate purposes.  The bills are the result of the Committee’s ongoing investigation into sexual harassment and abuse at the Washington Commanders and how allegations of workplace misconduct were handled by the National Football League (NFL).

Per the press release: “Despite the Commanders’ and the NFL’s enormous public platforms, they failed to adhere to a higher standard and serve as an examples for workplaces across the country.  Our investigation has revealed significant gaps in existing federal law that allow employers to use legal agreements to prevent employees from speaking out about unlawful behavior in their workplaces and allow executives to use professional images for lewd and inappropriate purposes,” said Chairwoman Maloney.  “The two bills introduced today would establish standards for employers to protect workers and encourage them to foster workplace cultures that aim to prevent—rather than conceal—workplace misconduct.  I strongly believe that those responsible for the culture of harassment and abuse at the Washington Commanders must be held accountable, and that as lawmakers, we must to use our legislative powers to protect other employees from this serious misconduct.”