Congressional negotiators including Bay Area Rep. Jackie Speier announced an agreement on legislation Wednesday to make senators and House members personally liable for sexual harassment claims, clearing the way for the bill to pass before the end of the year.
The breakthrough resolves a months-long standoff between the House and Senate, where lawmakers passed different versions of the legislation to govern how Congress handles harassment within its walls.
If the deal had not been struck by the end of the year, lawmakers would have had to start over in the new Congress.