Taxpayers shouldn’t cover sexual harassment claims against state employees

Normally when you spend money, you know what you are getting in return. Not so when it comes to settling sexual harassment claims against Wisconsin state employees. The State Department of Administration has finally, after open records requests from the media, tallied what taxpayers spent to settle sexual harassment claims. The numbers are staggering. Over the last decade, taxpayers in Wisconsin have spent at least $523,000 to settle sexual harassment complaints against state employees. The payments range from $65,000 to $100,000. That total number is no doubt higher, because state agencies are also able to settle claims on their own. But even in the era of the #metoo movement, Wisconsin state government is not being very open about the behavior of those whose salaries we pay. Our lawmakers in both parties prefer to refuse to release the full complaints and findings about discrimination. As taxpayers, we should be able to easily learn when any state employee behaves so badly it costs us money. They shouldn’t be covering it up. But we also shouldn’t be on the hook for someone else’s bad behavior. If a state employee harasses a co-worker, they should be fired, any any financial penalty should come from their pockets, not ours.