AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas House is calling for reforms after a Capitol staffer was allegedly drugged by a lobbyist at a meeting in Downtown Austin. State authorities confirmed they are investigating the Capitol aide's complaint. The news over the weekend rocked the Capitol community, which has taken steps in recent years after criticism over its handling of sexual misconduct complaints.
In a bipartisan move, House lawmakers conveyed support for the staff member who came forward.
“These allegations shake our Capitol families to its core, and I am disgusted that this sort of predatory behavior is still taking place in and around our Capitol. We can and we must do better,” said Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, starting off Monday's session.
The Beaumont-area Republican leader directed a house committee on general investigating to establish an email for staffers to submit reports or complaints of harassment in the workplace. Phelan is also requiring the chamber’s sexual harassment prevention training be done in-person.
Monday, more than 30 House legislators — all women — sent a letter to legislature employees. They letter said, in part, “The ultimate goal has been to change the culture of silence and victim blaming and, instead, create a supportive system.”
“We got to look at what kind of training, first of all. We got to look at who are the people we're hiring. And if there is corrective action taken, what do we do to ensure a staffer or anyone in the legislature, an elected official, doesn't continue the same behavior down the line?” Rep. Ina Minjarez, D-San Antonio, told Spectrum News 1. She also signed the letter.
The investigation has prompted some lawmakers to ban any firm associated with the incident, but others argue more needs to be done beyond condemnation.
“There's always indicators of attitudes and behaviors when someone is exhibiting this type of behavior, so when we are made aware of those indicators, or we see those indicators, what's our next step? Are we doing anything to get to the bottom of that to address it, to make it clear that this is not acceptable?” said Rose Luna, Chief Executive Officer, of the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault.
In response to the matter, the influential lobbying firm, HillCo Partners, launched an internal investigation after confirming to Capital Tonight one of its employees is a person of interest. Cofounder Bill Miller said if anyone associated with the firm is involved in such misconduct, they will be terminated.
"Hillco Partners joins the Capitol community in condemning any form of violence or other unwanted conduct against women and strongly supports the right of women to have their voices heard and believed. The reported incident is abhorrent and, once investigated and found to be accurate, should be dealt with in the strongest legal manner possible. The men and women of HillCo Partners take these allegations extremely seriously. We do not and will not tolerate a culture where anyone is not valued with respect and dignity," Miller said in a statement.
Capital Tonight also reached out to the Austin-based attorneys representing the accused lobbyist.
“We represent one of the parties that is purportedly being looked into regarding a Capitol staffer allegedly being drugged. At this stage we do not plan to identify this client publicly, but we can state that he has cooperated at every level requested to date. If, in fact, somebody drugged a capitol staffer, it was not our client nor any employee of HillCo Partners. We can state this with absolute certainty. We respectfully request that everyone involved proceed with due caution before an innocent person’s life is ruined,” David and Perry Minton said in a statement.
A push to change the culture at the Capitol came to a head last session when more women started speaking out about misconduct. New rules were adopted in 2019 that require House members and staffers to take training on identifying and responding to misconduct. The House's revised sexual harassment policy also explains multiple ways to report a complaint. It also notes protections against retaliation, how to seek counseling for victims and confidentiality requirements.
The rules do not apply to lobbyists.
"Clearly very disappointed that this kind of behavior is continuing. We certainly put these new policies in place to ensure we had a mechanism to maybe prevent some of these things from happening, but certainly wanted to make sure we had a pathway for people to feel comfortable reporting," Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, said. "That's one of the things, perhaps, that came about because of this incident that we actually are changing the behavior here where people understand that they will be believed, they will be supported and we want them to come forward and know that they are not going to have to worry about being blamed as the victim for reporting these kinds of misbehaviors."
The Senate has taken similar steps and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick weighed in today saying "The Texas Senate has a zero-tolerance sexual harassment policy which includes lobbyists, both at the Capitol and off premises. Every senator and all staffers have received in-person sexual harassment training and we have a robust protocol for reporting and response to all allegations. We are awaiting the law enforcement investigation of these criminal allegations to determine if there are steps the Texas Senate should take.”
Some lawmakers said legislative changes should go beyond internal investigations, as they consider survivor-centered bills. Minjarez said she hopes others stop covering up bad behaviors.
“The Capitol is a place that we should be so proud of, and it should be a place where people feel protected. You shouldn't be allowing predators in this building,” Minjarez said.
State lawmakers hoping to instill faith in the system in honor of survivors.