Levels through december 22. An update now on negotiations. At roll call. Walk us through the next 48 hours in terms of government funding and efforts to stave that off by members of the house and senate. Guest well, good morning. It seems like the crisis is going to be averted, at least for about two weeks. The house is going to move forward, already gone through the rules committee, as i understand it, and theyre going to move forward on a twoweek continuing resolution. It wouldnt do much except for change the date of the expiration of the government funding. And also make sure that they dont run out of money for Childrens HealthInsurance Programs between now and then, making a little bit of a technical change there. Which really pushes the whole issue off until december 22. All indications are that pretty much as soon as the bill arrives from the house, that the senate will ask to pass it as well, and thats if they dont ask before they move. Sometimes the senate will come up an agreement to basically vote on a continuing resolution, even before it has the paperwork. So everything looks good for the next couple of days, but really, if youve got plans the week leading into christmas, you may need to reevaluate. Host so what are the hangups for a longer term deal coming sooner . On the 22nd or whats stopping that from happening, and what changes in 14 days . Guest well, its not what changes in 14 takes. Obviously the leadership is heading to the white house for a meeting with president trump, and this time nancy pelosi, the House Minority leader, and chuck schumer, the Senate Minority leader, are actually supposed to show up, so thats one change. But more significantly, the question is whether or not theres going to be an agreement on government funding levels more broadly. This is the sort of topline spending level for the various departments from defense and also domestic programs, whether thats going to be reached between now and the 22nd, if it is, then clearly theyll just sort of punt things off probably until january when the omnibus spending bill, the big package, can be ready. But as indicated by the president in that clip that you just played of concerns about rampant crime and the various immigration lines of rhetoric from president trump, there is always the chance with this president that he says no, i want the funding for the wall today. We tonight think hes going to do that this week, but he very well could on the 22nd say, no, you know what, you didnt fund my wall, domestic border, so im going to not sign this bill. Thats the kind of thing that we cant really predict how its going to turn out, even if under normal circumstances were talking about a budget deal to try to kick things off until mid to late january. With donald trump as president , we just dont know. Host and when that budget deal comes together, what about some of the other issues that the president talked about, that democrats have talked about, the immigration issues specifically . Where is that going to fall as far as you can tell right now . Guest well, for the democrats, they are really pushing for either some version of the socalled dream act that would allow the people who received deferred action from president obama, mainly young people who came to this country without legal status when they arrive, who sort of were sort of left in legal limbo for a really long time, and with this expiration coming up in the springtime, democrats really, really want that issue addressed before the end of the calendar year. But what we dont know yet is whether or not they will filibuster any sort of government funding bill at the end of the year, or if this is just going to be lot of democrats voting against a spending bill. The other thing that has to be worked out, or one of the other things that has to be worked out that im looking at, but hasnt gotten a whole lot of attention yet, is that they to reauthorize the some of the provisions of the foreign Intelligence Surveillance act, some of the wire tapping language, or the wire tapping secret court sort of stuff has to be reviewed and renewed as well before the end of the year. So theres going to be a whole basket of things that has to get into that december 22 Going Forward continuing resolution, and that could complicate matters, too. Host well all watch it in the days and weeks to come. Viewers can read about it in roll call as well. Washington continues. Host always glad to be joined hawkings, Senior Editor at roll call, expert on all hings congress, joining us today to talk about sexual hill, the on capitol complaint process, how it could change. I want to get your reaction to expected, ut an perhaps, resignation, by al after , well find out 10 00 today this, coming on the heels of john conyers, dean of resigning over Sexual Harassment allegations, is this sign sign of fundamental shift apitol hill when it comes to Sexual Misconduct and harassment . Uest cliche, Tipping Point towards what many members are describing as zero tolerance. Precisely they have zero tolerance for, i think is still vague, whether its that it is in the case of mr. Conyers, zero tolerance for half a dozen women alleging he had harassed orvague, whether its that it is preyed upon them he was a member of congress. In the case of senator franken, date, egations to certainly i believe all allegations to date involve his he became a re senator. But yet, when seventh woman came yesterday and alleged that he hadibly tried to kiss her a decade ago, within minutes, or nine senators, all women who had apparently discussed this beforehand, great story by our competitors at politico, said al franken has one more misstep and well call for his resignation, the of last night, 32 or 33 of he 48 Senate Democrat his called for his resignation. Host today House Administration prepared to hold a hearing to discuss the Sexual Harassment reporting process, changes, explain to us what that process is now and hat the criticisms of that process are . Guest sure. History for a moment to 1995, when the with america, the platform, propelled republicans o Controlling Congress for the first time in 40 years, their first promise on opening day of they would apply rightsce labor and civil laws that apply to the rest of the country to congress. A law within two weeks after taking control with by ually unanimous support democrats and republicans, alike, apply 11 laws to congress. The challenge was who should enforce this. Congress didnt want the branch enforcing these civil rights and labor laws on ongress, so congress set up in this law, its own office, the office of compliance to set behavior. S for host the law, congressional accountability act. Is t that is what it called, set up the office of compliance, it should be noted majority from what we know in office of compliance entirely detailed in this forthcoming, but what is that in the last 15 years, theyve paid out settlements, i have the numbers here, 13 256lion in settlements, some cases, but only a couple have by lved Sexual Harassment members of congress, we only know of one at the moment, congressman, a republican from texas. So the way it is supposed to aggrieved employee this, is criticism, too an ensome process, if you aggrieved employee, you are required to spend 90 days in called mediation, at least 90 days, trying to work out an agreement with your boss, ofts of compliance, if you have exhausted lengthy rocess of mediation and internal negotiations, if you are still dissatisfied, you have the right to take your complaint public, to go to federal court and try to sue for damages. Are f those damages awarded, the law is very clear, that individual member is not be held liable, the treasury is supposed to be held liable for any damages. Set up that way and why does this process seem we are e right now as viewing it in light of what is happen Nothing Society . Years i would say that 20 ago, that was the legislative deal that was cut, in order to bill to eed this enactment early in the year with unanimous support, members of congress did not want to be held personally liable and not want stated fear at the time, they did not want laws used as political weapon against them, their statement was they insulation from frivolous complaints about them to have d their right them, complaints adjudicated executive branch. And o this opasty requirement treasury pay for them was the deal that was cut. Time, sexual e harassment, most of what was being discussed, most of what being discussed was racial discrimination, workplace big y, the capitol is a complex, many people work in the complex who do not work for members, helping them write legislation or be the lots of kesman, janitors and construction workers worked in heating and led cooling tunnels under the capitol and that was the focus this, trying to protect those people and the idea was a member of Congress Held personally iable if somebody placed hazardous desk in the way of a fire door during a fire drill and somebody tripped and broke ankle. Host David Hawkings has been stories this, editing about it for well over 20 years at cg roll call. Reat person if you have questions or comments about congress and Sexual Misconduct reporting process. Phone lines, if you want to call in, republicans, 2027488001. Democrats, 2027488000. Independents, 2027488002. As folks are calling in, what pecifically is the House Administration committee looking at today or are there bills that will be examined that will process in specific way . Guest i think this is sort of this is the second hearing, i dont think they have synthesized where they want to go. They realize going into election year, they need to do something make the process less opaque and i would predict to change rules so that a member of congress could be held personally liable for misconduct to do with his personal behavior, not necessarily of congress generally behavior as a member of congress in his or her official capacity, but personal behavior, they should be held personally liable. Behavior as a member of congress dont think there is legislation yet, but i get the sense this is something the is keenly leadership aware of that could be a political problem for them if move quickly. This, of course, over the holidays, we would be right to be more ere will members this behavior come to of a hard to believe out group of 535 lawmakers, that the date, e know about to would be the only four that we ferenholt, whose received 84,000 in taxpayer money. The Republican Leadership has him to resign. Mr. Conyers, resigned. Franken, whose resignation may yet happen today house know about freshman member from nevada, a democrat, propositions one of his Campaign Staffers for sex campaign. Ng the host let you talk to a few viewers, agatha up first in the bronx, line for democrats. Go ahead. To er yes, i just wanted say that president trump, he moore. Or roy now why would he go for roy moore when he was molesting you could say, i guess the president is the same thing, goes for him. I dont understand why he would do that. If hes not yet elected, he should go against him to show not that way. Es host special election happening next tuesday. Agatha, is uesday, right, to introduce roy moore into this conversation, of there are a collection of women in alabama who say that when roy moore was young District Attorney in his 0s, he sought romantic involvement with them, he touched at least one of were leaving this washington journal segment now for the house session. The house