Missouri House Speaker Todd Richardson said Tuesday afternoon there won't be any changes to the existing House dress code.
Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, issued a news release after several news stories said a special House Committee looking into the policy on internships had recommended a dress code change - and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill blasted the idea in a letter to some House members.
The issue was raised as part of an effort to improve the internship program after former House Speaker John Diehl, R-Town and Country, resigned his seat in mid-May after admitting he'd been involved in sending sexually-suggestive text messages to a 19-year-old House intern.
The work picked up added urgency after Sen. Paul LeVota, D-Independence, announced his resignation following accusations from two different interns that he had sexually harassed them.
The Kansas City Star reported Tuesday that Rep. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington - chair of the special House committee - had distributed "a list of suggested changes to lawmakers Monday evening, which included ideas such as a minimum number of college credit hours and GPA for participation, mandatory training for interns and supervisors, and the creation of an ombudsman program.
"He asked his colleagues to "review and send any specific recommendations regarding these criteria in writing as soon as possible.'"
The Star report said several House members suggested changes to the dress code, including Rep. Nick King, R-Liberty, who wrote in an email to colleagues, "We need a good, modest, conservative dress code for both the males and females.
"Removing one more distraction will help everyone keep their focus on legislative matters."
The Star said Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, circulated her own email, reminding House colleagues dress codes are common human resources policies in the workplace.
"The most valuable and valid internship experiences are ones where interns are embedded in the work environment, which includes the same/similar job expectations as employees, including dress code," Swan said.
In her letter, McCaskill wrote, "Victim-blaming in the context of sexual violence is as old as the crime itself. I saw victims blamed for the crimes against them as a courtroom prosecutor of sex crimes, and as elected prosecutor for Jackson County. ...
"Victim-blaming obscures justice, and undermines a process that should be based solely on factual evidence, not on a desire to skirt accountability.
"And so I was bitterly disappointed to read press accounts of your suggestions that, as policies are developed to better protect interns working in the Missouri State Legislature from sexual harassment and assault, you thought an intern dress code was the answer."
Noting her efforts in Congress to curb sexual violence, as well as her experiences three decades ago as a legislative intern and an elected lawmaker, McCaskill added, "Such a recommendation reeks of a desire to avoid holding fully accountable those who would prey upon young women and men seeking to begin honorable careers in public service.
"Is your recommendation meant to suggest that the ability of adult men and women who have been elected to govern the state of Missouri to control themselves is contingent on the attire of the teenagers and young adults working in their offices?
"Is your recommendation meant to suggest that if an intern wears suggestive clothing, she or he will share partial responsibility for any potential sexual harassment or assault?"
In his release, Richardson noted Engler's "working group did not recommend, and the House will not be implementing, changes to the dress code as the House already has in place a code that applies to all members, staff and interns equally. Our efforts have been, and remain, focused on improving the environment for interns to learn and gain experience here in the General Assembly."
The speaker also wrote, "The legislature should be a safe place for learning about government and the legislative process, and my goal is to ensure that safety."