# 119-hr-7583: BE HEARD in the Workplace Act 119-hr-7583, BE HEARD in the Workplace Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-05). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7583 - As of: 2026-06-05 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-7583 - Congress: 119 - Title: BE HEARD in the Workplace Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-02-13 - Sponsor: Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA) - Cosponsors: 22 - Policy area: Labor and Employment - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-06-05 ## Summary **Expands workplace protections against harassment and discrimination.** This bill would create a national framework that requires employer policies and training, broadens who is covered, restricts nondisclosure and forced arbitration, and funds research and local legal help. - Workers, applicants, and nontraditional workers would gain explicit protections. It would cover independent contractors, interns, volunteers, trainees, and applicants, make predispute arbitration for work disputes invalid, and ban nondisclosure or nondisparagement clauses for harassment with a 21-day consideration period and a 7-day revocation window. - Employers and federal contractors would face new obligations and enforcement. Employers with 15 or more employees would have one year to adopt written nondiscrimination policies and follow Equal Employment Opportunity Commission training standards, and fines of up to $1,000 per offense would apply for noncompliance. - Federal research, enforcement, and assistance would expand. The Census, EEOC, and Bureau of Labor Statistics would run a national harassment survey every 3 years, the National Institutes of Health would fund follow-up research guided by a National Academies study, and grants would support legal aid and State advocacy systems. ## Cosponsors (22) - Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29] (D-TX), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10] (D-WA), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (D-NY), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5] (D-PA), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12] (D-PA), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3] (D-IL), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (D-ME), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12] (D-CA), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] (D-CA), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10] (D-CA), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25] (D-FL), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2026-02-20T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (D-CA), 2026-02-20T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2026-02-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5] (D-MN), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6] (D-WA), 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Stronger harassment rules and proof: benefit, high. This bill would add a clear legal definition of workplace harassment covering race, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy), religion, national origin, and other protected traits. It would adopt a "motivating factor" proof standard so a protected trait need not be the only ca… - More legal aid and prevention grants: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Department of Labor could fund groups that give civil legal help for workplace harassment and discrimination. Grants for legal aid would run one to five years and must serve clients regardless of citizenship or work authorization. The Women's Bureau could give competitive prevention… - New federal research, outreach, and enforcement: benefit, medium. If enacted, the EEOC would create an Office of Education and Outreach and run a multi-year public awareness campaign. The EEOC would convene a harassment prevention Task Force and publish a report at least every five years. The Census Bureau would run a national harassment survey within one year an… - New court, arbitration, and timing rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would make many pre-dispute arbitration clauses for work disputes invalid and allow post-dispute arbitration only after strong written disclosures, a 45-day waiting period, and written consent. It would bar employers from making workers give up joint, class, or collective claim… - New employer policy and training rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, covered employers would have to adopt a written nondiscrimination policy within one year and offer interactive employee training and extra supervisor training based on research. The EEOC would publish model policies and make tailored materials for employers with fewer than 15 workers. T… - More workers covered; contractor rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, the law would expand which entities count as a 'covered establishment' so some contractors, interns, volunteers, and gig workers can be protected. It would treat some domestic-service arrangements using interstate transport or communication as interstate commerce so federal protections… ## Related bills - 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act - 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act - 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026 - 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act - 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025 - 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act ## Sources - [119-hr-7583 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7583) ## Related - [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973) - [119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3971) - [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877) - [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51) - [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20) - [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7583 (as of 2026-06-05).