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Coburn & Inhofe vote 'no' on amendment restricting abusive contractors
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OpenCongress.org reported today that Senate Amendment 2588 (the Al Franken amendment) passed. The amendment prevents federal money going to contractors who force employees or subcontractors to sign agreements disallowing them to sue their employer for incidents of "sexual assault or harassment, including assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, or negligent hiring, supervision, or retention."
Here's the full text of the amendment:
S. Amndt. 2588 to H.R. 3326 – None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for any existing or new Federal contract if the contractor or a subcontractor at any tier requires that an employee or independent contractor, as a condition of employment, sign a contract that mandates that the employee or independent contractor performing work under the contract or subcontract resolve through arbitration any claim under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or any tort related to or arising out of sexual assault or harassment, including assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, or negligent hiring, supervision, or retention.
Senators Tom Coburn (R - Oklahoma) and James Inhofe (R - Oklahoma) both voted against the amendment.
What is wrong with these two gentlemen? Half of all Oklahomans are women, and they will be the most likely group protected by this amendment, especiallly since this legislation is a direct result of denying a woman's right to sue after she was gang-raped!
And what kind of business is it that requires employees to sign such agreements in the first place? Such contractors certainly shouldn't get any of our tax dollars, and one wonders how such agreements can be legal at all.
Government certainly isn't the problem here, unless your logic is quite convoluted on the subject. This one is a no-brainer. But, as usual, the concerns of corporations take precedence over the rights of individuals on the Republican side of this equation, and Coburn and Inhofe followed along like the dutiful puppydogs they are.
I take that back. Senator Coburn walks like a man apart sometimes.
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