State sex harassment report: Minn. needs a strong central office to investigate complaints

That's the first of many recommendations made by a panel of commissioners and other senior state officials ordered by Gov. Mark Dayton to review state sexual harassment policies and how they're working.

The recommendations, announced by Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans, come in the wake of the national #MeToo movement of women confronting men and the resignation of two state lawmakers and U.S. Sen. Al Franken in recent months following allegations of varying degrees of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior.

The recommendations also coincided with the release of data showing the state spent more than $700,000 in taxpayer funds from 2012 to 2017 to settle seven legal cases filed by state workers, all women, alleging sexual harassment that wasn't properly addressed when they complained.

In a 26-page report released Friday, the panel concluded that much of the state's handling of sexual harassment complaints works, but more can be done.

Among the recommendations, which are now before Dayton:

• Create the centralized office to ensure best practices and consistency at all state agencies. Frans declined to speculate how much the office would cost. Dayton will need to ask the Legislature for money to fund it, he said.

• Increase and improve training. All 5,000 supervisors have received sexual harassment training, but not every employee has.

• Hire more women in senior roles.

• Make sure employees are more frequently reminded of sexual harassment. "We want everyone to realize that we're going to be talking about this," Frans said of state workers.

• Consider creating an employee sexual harassment hotline.

• Clarify responsibilities and options for so-called bystanders who witness sexual harassment.

• Regularly audit departments to make sure it's working.

• Consider changes to the state Data Practices Act, which governs what is public — and what's private. Frans said this is a tricky issue that he hasn't figured out. Respecting an employee's privacy must be balanced against the desire of an accuser to know what's happening with a complaint she or he has made.

The recommendations are confined to the executive branch, including all major state departments. The Legislature and the judicial branch, including state courts, are not included.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press is a media partner with Forum News Service