The Arkansas House will soon offer voluntary sexual harassment training to lawmakers, while the Senate is considering whether to conduct similar training when lawmakers convene next year.
The House is scheduled to conduct the training for staffers next week. It is mandatory for staff, but not lawmakers. House Speaker Jeremy Gillam said lawmakers will be offered the same training when they convene next month for a session focused on the state's budget.
The House is paying a Little Rock law firm $2,500 to conduct the training. The Senate isn't conducting similar training but will consider doing so ahead of the 2019 session.
A 50-state review by The Associated Press found that about a third of state legislative chambers across the country don't require lawmakers to participate in sexual harassment training.