Virtual File - Item

Text: August 3, 2021

Mr. Cal R. Ludeman
Secretary of the Senate
231 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155

Dear Secretary Ludeman:

I am certain that you are aware of recent public statements and news reports that the Minnesota
Senate did not properly handle allegations of sexual harassment made by a staff member working
in the DFL caucus. The staff member's statements and a news article pointed to deficiencies
among a number of actors within the Senate as a whole, including on the part of Senate Human
Resources following the staffer's communication of the allegations to HR. Given the seriousness
of these concerns, the importance of providing a safe, respectful and supportive workplace for all
Senate employees, and so that we all have confidence in the Senate's ability to effectively
implement our standards, we believe that there should be an independent, outside review of the
current Minnesota Senate Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy and the manner in
which it was implemented in the matter that was highlighted in the recent article.

As you are likely aware, Senate DFL Caucus Members and staff have met with Senate Counsel
and Senate Human Resources. With the benefit of their input, we are reviewing our own caucus
and member handling of the staff member's situation and are committed to improving our own
response to these types of concerns. To that end, we as a caucus would like to be included in the
scope of the independent investigation that we seek.

In addition, recognizing that we all respect the privacy of those we work with in the Minnesota
Senate, especially in personnel matters, public discussions have raised important questions about
the Senate's policy and how it is implemented. The current policy was a much-needed
replacement of old policy, created by a bipartisan working group and unanimously approved by
the Senate Rules and Administration Committee in March 2019. However, it is important that we
reflect on recent conversations and remain open to pursuing additional changes, if they are
needed.

Further, whenever an employee, former or current, believes that the policies were not
implemented correctly in their matter, it is our duty to validate their voice and take their concerns
seriously. Hence, we make our request for an investigation. Since one of the issues that has been
raised involves the role of Senate HR itself, we do not think that an internal evaluation will be
sufficient to address the concerns raised and to instill confidence in the results of the
investigation. Accordingly, we believe that the Senate should engage outside evaluators to
conduct the investigation. There will be important questions about the scope of such an
investigation, given personnel privacy, and we want to work with you, non-partisan, and
bipartisan Senate leaders to create a process that is both independent and broad so that
employees, Members, and all Minnesotans are assured that the Senate is a safe and respectful
place to do the people's work.

Thank you for your prompt consideration of how best to achieve these goals and for convening
Senate leaders to initiate this urgent process.

Sincerely,

Susan Kent
Senate DFL Leader

Nick Frentz
Assistant DFL Leader

Foung Hawj
Assistant DFL Leader

cc: Senator Paul Gazelka, Senate Majority Leader
Tom Bottern, Director, Senate Counsel/Research/Analysis
Nicole Miner, Director, Senate Human Resources