There have been a total of 135 substantiated complaints of sexual harassment across Minnesota state government agencies since January 2011, according to findings that came out of a public data request and agency-wide review of sexual harassment policies by the state. Since the beginning of 2012, the state has paid out a total of nearly $710,000 in taxpayer-funded settlements for sexual harassment complaints.
Gov. Mark Dayton ordered the review of just state agencies late last year in the wake of several high-profile allegations within the world of Minnesota politics, including the Legislature and state agencies.
As part of the review, Dayton said Friday he will ask lawmakers to create a separate state office to receive, investigate and provide follow through on sexual harassment complaints filed by anyone working in Minnesota’s massive government bureaucracy, which includes more than 32,000 employees across 23 state agencies.
You can read the full report of recommendations here.
MinnPost will continue to report on this story throughout Friday.
