In an interview with Business Record reporters and editors on Friday — the day former Senate President Mary Kramer issued a report calling for a new state complaint system for harassment allegations — current Senate President Jack Whitver said he doesn’t know of any major push for new legislation on harassment or the pay gap between men and women. 

Asked if lawmakers would consider actions that would guide businesses’ work on fighting harassment, such as requiring training on what constitutes harassment, Whitver said the issue is “on a lot of people’s minds” at the Statehouse and was mentioned in Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Condition of the State speech. He noted the Senate hired a human resources specialist. “We will certainly take a look at our policies and handbooks that have been around for years and years to make sure we are as up to date as we should be at the Capitol,” Whitver said. 

House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow said he hasn’t heard about any proposals to require anti-harassment training at businesses. “By and large, we want to leave businesses the freedom to make their own decisions on how they handle human resources. That’s our perspective,” Hagenow said. 

Whitver and Hagenow are among the leaders in the House and Senate, both controlled by Republican majorities. Reynolds also is a Republican.