Arizona’s state House Speaker says he will implement new anti-harassment policies and ban the consumption of alcohol in House offices after an independent investigation found a senior member of the legislature repeatedly harassed a female colleague.
Speaker J.D. Mesnard (R) said he would strip state Rep. Don Shooter (R) of his committee assignments after the exhaustive report, compiled by an outside law firm, found credible evidence that Shooter had violated the House’s policy prohibiting sexual harassment.
Mesnard will also introduce a resolution formally censuring Shooter, though he stopped short of calling for Shooter’s resignation.
Shooter had been suspended from his post as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee late last year, after eight women — including three sitting state legislators — accused him of inappropriate sexual advances. {mosads}
One of those women, state Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R), told The Hill she had been harassed by Shooter for years. Mesnard suspended Shooter from his chairmanship after The Hill asked Mesnard’s office to comment on Ugenti-Rita’s allegations.
She says Shooter told her he was in love with her, and that he once showed up at her hotel room at an out-of-state conference, uninvited, with a six-pack of beer.
She also said Shooter once left her a bottle of tequila and a note referencing a Kenny Chesney song that refers to a woman driving a man crazy.
Shooter did not deny either event, and investigating attorneys found credible evidence that both had occurred.
“This has been a humbling and eye-opening experience for me,” Shooter said in a statement released after the investigation was made public. “I look forward to working to repair relationships and serving my constituents and our great state.”
After Ugenti-Rita and others made their allegations public, other legislators lodged complaints of their own against Ugenti-Rita. Investigators found no credible evidence to back up those complaints.
Shooter is one of more than a dozen state legislators from across the country who has faced allegations of sexual harassment or improper behavior. Another dozen or so legislators have resigned from office after allegations were lodged against them, in states such as Ohio, Minnesota, Florida and California.
Dozens of states have implemented new sexual harassment training regimens or rules in response.
In Arizona, Mesnard said he would create a formal human resources department in the state House, and he will move to impose a stricter anti-harassment policy and behavioral code of conduct.