Many interns on Capitol Hill are being required to sign nondisclosure agreements that could be used to protect members of Congress and staff from potential harassment or other complaints, according to a report.
Four lawyers surveyed two agreements signed by interns for one Democratic House office and another Democratic Senate office for Vox.
While some of the legal experts found the documents to be standard practice, others told Vox they harbored concerns about their broad language and the lack of exceptions “for incidents of harassment, discrimination, or abuse.”
They questioned why a few of the interns reported they were not given copies of the agreement for them to show outside legal counsel, or their parents, if they so desired.
Twenty current and former Hill interns told Vox the agreements are commonplace across both Democratic and Republican congressional offices.
A handful of these offices told Vox the agreements were necessary to protect internal decision-making processes, as well as constituent information.
While reforms are being considered, Hill interns do not have access to the same misconduct complaint mechanisms as staff.
In addition, they encounter unique challenges if they want to bring a lawsuit because the unpaid nature of most internship programs makes it hard to argue they suffered damages, attorneys told Vox.
Nondisclosure agreements are facing greater scrutiny in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the #MeToo movement because they prevented victims from speaking out about what they experienced.
