The bill passed on Tuesday evening, born in the wake of the #MeToo movement, would overhaul aspects of the Congressional Accountability Act, the decades-old law that put in place the system through which sexual harassment, discrimination and other workplace-related claims on Capitol Hill are handled, reports CNN.
It is an an attempt to make the once-secretive system less arduous for victims. The legislation would streamline the process a House of Representatives employee must go through to report a workplace claim, including eliminating the mandatory 30-day counselling and mediation period.
It would also require members of Congress to repay the Treasury fund controlled by the Office of Compliance within 90 days, including members who leave office, and would require that each claim in which an award or settlement is made be referred to the House Ethics Committee -- something that is currently not done automatically.
"From members to staff, no one should feel unsafe serving in Congress," House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement on Tuesday.
"We promised we would deliver real change to the system, and today we are."
The legislation had been worked on for months by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Representatives Gregg Harper of Mississippi and Robert Brady of Pennsylvania, the top Republican and Democrat on the House Administration Committee, reports CNN.
"We changed the system so we protect the victim and not the perpetrator," Brady said on the House floor on Tuesday. "This is long overdue."
"Thanks to the ‘Me Too' movement, the American public has made it clear that they have had enough. They expect Congress to lead and for once, we are," said Representative Jackie Speier (California), also an author of the legislation.
Tuesday's legislation was a direct response to a series of allegations, resignations and retirements that have rocked Capitol Hill in recent months regarding lawmakers from both parties making inappropriate comments or sexually harassing female staffers.
Former Representative John Conyers Jr. resigned last year after BuzzFeed reported that a female former aide who accused him of sexual harassment received about $27,000 in installments from his office budget, reports The Hill magazine.
Similarly, Representative Patrick Meehan decided not to run for re-election after The New York Times reported that his office paid out a settlement of an undisclosed amount to a former female aide who accused him of retaliating when she rebuffed his advances.
Another Republican lawmaker, Representative Blake Farenthold, has also come under scrutiny for an $84,000 settlement paid from the Treasury Department fund after a female former aide accused him of sexual harassment.
Farenthold, who has since decided not to run for re-election, initially pledged to take out a personal loan to reimburse taxpayers.
The bill passed on Wednesday mostly along party lines, 231-198, with six Democrats supporting the first major firearms-related bill Congress has voted on since the massacres in Las Vegas and Texas earlier this year, reports CNN.
Fourteen Republicans opposed the legislation and argued that Americans' Second Amendment rights to bear arms should not end when they cross state lines.
"The Bill of Rights is not a philosophical exercise," Georgia Representative Doug Collins, who personally had a concealed carry permit for what described as self-defence reasons.
"I don't think that right should be undermined simply because I travel to another state."
Democrats angrily denounced the legislation, known as "concealed carry reciprocity".
Under the House legislation, people with permits for carrying concealed handguns could do so in any state that allows concealed weapons, reports The Hill magazine.
People can only use their concealed-carry permits in other states that allow the practice if they are carrying a valid government-issued photo ID and are lawfully licensed to possess a concealed handgun. They would still have to adhere to established state and local laws.
Concealed-carry reciprocity is a top legislative priority for the National Rifle Association (NRA), which has resisted proposals to restrict access to guns in response to mass shootings.
US states have varying requirements for carrying concealed weapons, like gun safety training, age limits and prohibitions on individuals known to have abusive pasts.
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea has sent an open letter of protest to the US House of Representatives, strongly condemning and resolutely rejecting the "North Korea Interdiction and Modernization of Sanctions Act" passed last week, said the official Korean Central News Agency.
"The passage of the above legislation amounts to the most heinous act against humanity, not only infringing upon the sacred sovereignty of North Korea but also arbitrarily violating universal principles of sovereignty, equality and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries," the letter said.
The law is another example of the United States using domestic laws to "meddle in other's internal affairs and bring pressure to bear on another country", it said.
The North Korea legislature also pointed out that the hostile actions by Washington "will further handicap the US in its attempt to resolve the nuclear issue (of the Korean Peninsula)".
"As the US House of Representatives enacts more and more of these reckless hostile laws, North Korea's efforts to strengthen nuclear deterrent will gather greater pace, beyond anyone's imagination," it added.
A key element in the resolution adopted on Thursday is the condemnation of dual loyalty that insinuates doubt about patriotism of sections of citizens that has a resonance for Indian-Americans who sometimes face that accusation for expressing support for India.
While 234 Democrats backed the resolution and one abstained, 173 Republicans voted for it and 23 against it.
The Executive Director of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), Suhag Shukla, welcoming the resolution pointed out that "our communities have also faced suspicion and bigotry from people on the far-left end of the political spectrum with baseless accusations of dual loyalties to India".
The build-up to the resolution exposed a deep divide within the Democrats as the party leadership faced a rebellion from its Left and African-American groups, while the moderates pushed for the original version that targeted only anti-Semitism.
There is risk the divide that is also being reflected in the ideological divisions economic and social policies also may grow and undermine party unity to the advantage of Republicans.
The resolution was first proposed as a response to repeated anti-Jewish statements by a newly elected Muslim Representative of Somali descent, Ilhan Omar, who had accused supporters of Israel as having "allegiance to a foreign country" and tweeted that support for Israel was motivated by "Benjamin's Babies" - an anti-Semitic slur referring to $100 notes - which implied lawmakers were being bought.
But Speaker Nancy Pelosi proposal to condemn anti-Semitism faced opposition from the left wing of the party as well as the African-American bloc in the House, even though the initial draft did not mention Omar.
Indian-American Senator Kamala Harris, for example, said that it would draw attention to Omar and endanger her.
As a compromise to get the vocal dissenters to back the resolution, references to Muslims and African-Americans were added. The final version included other religions, Asians, immigrants, gays, lesbians and transgender people and other minorities.
But it left out Budhists, Mormons and others.
The HAF had lobbied for the inclusion of Hinduism in the resolution along with other groups.
Rajwand Singh, the senior adviser to the National Sikh Campaign, said: "We welcome the resolution as it hits home for us as we have been victims of hatred and violence because of our identity."
The opposition was because of the watering down of the resolution to deflect the prime reason for it - anti-Jewish comments from a Democrat. A Jewish Representative Lee Zeldin, for example, called the resolution resolution "spineless".
Omar and two other Muslim Representatives, Rashida Tlaib and Andre Carson, turned it around making it a victory for themselves and proclaimed: "It's the first time we have voted on a resolution condemning anti-Muslim bigotry in our nation's history."
The resolution prominently mentioned White Supremacists, but also included others saying, "whether from the political right, centre or left, bigotry, discrimination, oppression, racism and imputations of dual loyalty threaten American democracy and have no place in American political discourse".
The reasons for the sensitivity to accusations of dual loyalty and use of money power is because they were the starting point of the anti-Semitism in Europe that led to the Nazi holocaust in which six million Jews were killed.
Similar accusations have also led to anti-Semitism in the US leading to violence and discrimination against Jews.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, about 60 per cent of the hate crimes in the US targeted Jews and showed an increase of 37 per cent from the previous year.
During World War II, Japanese Americans were accused of dual loyalty and lack of American patriotism and herded into internment camps under extremely harsh conditions.
The American Jewish people are unfairly targeted for the US support to Israel through unfair stereotyping. In reality, they are not the monolithic, powerful force behind support for Israel as many claim. Many Jews, including politicians, criticise Israel and oppose President Donald Trump's policies in support of Israel like recognising Jerusalem as its capital.
It is, in fact, the Christian fundamentalists who are the staunchest and uncritical supporters of Israel and drive US policy towards that country. Trump's Israel policies are aimed at this bloc that is the core of his base.
In the mid-term elections, 75 per cent of Christian fundamentalists voted for the Republican Party in contrast to 79 per cent of Jews who voted for the Democratic Party, according to Pew Research Centre.
Many Jews themselves oppose the Christian fundamentalists' backing for Israel because the reason for their support is that according to their interpretation of the Bible, Jesus Christ will return when Israel is reconstituted.
"This week, we will bring a resolution to the Floor that affirms the ongoing, existing investigation that is currently being conducted by our committees as part of this impeachment inquiry, including all requests for documents, subpoenas for records and testimony, and any other investigative steps previously taken or to be taken as part of this investigation," Pelosi wrote on Monday in a letter to other House Democrats, Xinhua reported.
The California Democrat said that they are "taking this step to eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump Administration may withhold documents, prevent witness testimony, disregard duly authorized subpoenas, or continue obstructing the House of Representatives."
The text of the resolution has yet to be released but the resolution will reportedly hit the House floor on Thursday.
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement that they "won't be able to comment fully until we see the actual text" while accusing Democrats of "conducting an unauthorized impeachment proceeding, refusing to give the President due process."
"Their secret, shady, closed door depositions are completely and irreversibly illegitimate," she added.
The impeachment inquiry into Trump was initiated last month by Pelosi after an anonymous whistleblower had raised concern about the president's interactions with Ukraine.
Trump was alleged to have abused power by using a military aid that Congress approved to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into investigating former US Vice President Joe Biden, the leading 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, so as to help his re-election campaign.
The White House has said it will not provide documents or witnesses to House investigators because it considered the impeachment inquiry unfair and illegitimate.
Democrats have argued that there is no need to hold a full House vote to authorize the inquiry, citing Constitution stating that the lower chamber "shall have the sole Power of Impeachment".
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has urged more efforts from Republicans to defend him and challenge the impeachment inquiry, as depositions are turning to the White House and a series of witnesses have testified behind closed doors before House panels leading the investigation.
The bill, Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act, adopted on Thursday by a voice vote, was sponsored by the late civil rights leader, John Louis, last December and the co-sponsors included Representatives Ami Bera, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal.
The bill seeks to set up exchange programmes for scholars and undergraduate and post-graduate students from the two countries on social justice and human rights and the Gandhi-King Global Academy within the US Institute of Peace.
It also proposes setting up the US-India Gandhi-King Development Foundation to give out grants to NGOs in India for action on humanitarian, environmental, climate change and development issues.
One of the features of the educational component, the "Gandhi King Scholarly Exchange Initiative," is the creation of an annual forum on the teachings of the two leaders.
The bill will now go before the Senate, where it will have to find a place amid the packed agenda in the final days of its current session.
After Elliot Engel, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee which had approved the bill in July, called for the suspension of the normal procedures for passing bills, the House approved it unanimously by a voice vote.
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) welcomed the passage of the bill as an honour to the memory of Lewis.
"It is a fitting tribute that his (Lewis's) bill institutionalising the legacy and teachings of both Gandhi and Dr King would pass in the 116th Congress and is on its way to becoming law," said HAF Executive Director Suhag Shukla.
Lewis, who died in July, was one of the champions of the non-violent US civil rights movement led by King.
He was the chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and one of the organisers of the 1963 March on Washington at which King delivered his memorable "I have a dream" speech.
The bill said, "The world will benefit from a stronger United States-India partnership."
It added, "Leaders in both countries belonging to both major political parties have prioritised the United States-India relationship and on a bipartisan basis continue to support a strengthened United States-India partnership, recognising that it will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century."
"The use of non-violent civil disobedience is a shared tactic that has played a key role in defeating social injustice in India, the United States, and in other parts of the world," the bill said.
The bill quoted King: "I am more convinced than ever before that the method of non-violent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity."
(With IANS Inputs)
Pelosi, 80, from the Democratic party, secured 216 votes in a tight contest against Republican Kevin McCarthy, who got support from 209 Congressmen.
According to the House Clerk, a total of 427 votes were cast. One vote went to Senator Tammy Duckworth and one to Congressman Hakeem Jeffries.
Notably, six Democratic lawmakers did not vote for Pelosi, while all the 209 Republicans stood by McCarthy, who is now the House Minority Leader. The Democratic Party has 222 seats in the House.
The US House of Representatives has a strength of 435 voting members and six non-voting members.
Pelosi received two more votes than the 2014 votes, which is the majority of members who participated in the election by voting for someone by name, soon thereafter announced that this is her last term as the House Speaker.
Pelosi has led the House Democrats since 2003. In 2007, she created history by becoming the first women speaker of the House. She was reelected in 2009. She served as the House Minority Leader from 2011 to 2019, when she was elected as the Speaker after Democratic Party gained control of the House.
A strong advocate of human rights issues, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and a strong supporter of the India-US relationship, Pelosi, in her acceptance speech, said that the new Congress begins during a time of extraordinary difficulty.
"Each of our communities has been drastically affected by the pandemic and economic crisis: 3,50,000 tragic deaths, each one a sadness that we carry in our hearts; over 20 million infections; millions without jobs - a toll almost beyond comprehension," she said.
Pelosi represents the eighth Congressional District of California, which is in and around San Francisco.
The 117th Congress is the most diverse House in American history - with a record-shattering 122 women, 100 years after women won the right to vote, she said.
The House has four Indian-American lawmakers. Ami Bera, being the seniormost of them, who has been reelected for the fifth consecutive term. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal have been reelected for third consecutive term. Jayapal is the first-ever Indian American woman elected to the House.
Setting up her priorities for the 117th Congress, Pelosi said that this is the time for the nation to heal, given the sufferings due to the coronavirus pandemic. Our most urgent priority will continue to be defeating coronavirus.
"And defeat it, we will. Two weeks ago, we passed an emergency relief package to crush the virus and put money in the pockets of workers and families, which is now the law," she said.
"With President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the House will continue our work to save lives and livelihoods, to Build Back Better in a way that advances justice in America.
"Indeed, the pandemic has pulled back the curtain on even worsened disparities in our economy and our society. We must pursue justice: economic justice, justice in health, racial justice, environmental and climate justice," Pelosi said.
Following the election of the House Speaker, she administered the oath to the rest of the members of the House starting with the first-time members elect.
(Lalit K Jha/PTI)