Md. Senate passes sexual harassment bill

(AP) – The Maryland Senate has unanimously passed a measure that would change how the General Assembly handles sexual harassment complaints against members of the legislature.

The measure approved Friday also would extend the assembly's sexual harassment policies to include lobbyists.

The assembly's ethics committee would need to refer all sexual harassment complaints to an independent investigator, unless the person who filed the complaint didn't want that to happen. The House and Senate still have to reconcile their versions of the bill before the legislative session ends Monday at midnight.

Last month, a state senator accused a lobbyist of inappropriately touching her in a bar. The lobbyist has denied the allegations. Also, three female state lawmakers publicly discussed sexual harassment they've experienced while working in the statehouse.