INDIANAPOLIS — Newly reelected Indiana Senate Minority Leader Greg Taylor is facing backlash after the Indy Star reported three women accused him of sexual harassment between 2009 and 2016.
On Tuesday, Taylor addressed his colleagues at the Statehouse for Organization Day.
"My focus, our focus in our caucus will be the protections of Hoosiers across the state of Indiana," Taylor said.
Assistant Minority Leader Andrea Hunley (D-Indianapolis), whose chair is next to Taylor's, is among those calling for accountability and action.
"I definitely think accountability is critical and I've been so grateful for Senator (Shelli) Yoder and for her leadership. She has helped to draft proposed changes to our rules, to our employee handbook and to our own caucus, our way of doing our own caucus bylaws," said Hunley.
Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) said he has not yet looked into the possibility of an investigation into the allegations.
"Those actions happened before I was president pro tem. That was pre-2018 and I'll take a look at that. I haven't really done that yet. It's kind of new and I haven't made that move yet," Bray said.
Taylor did release a statement apologizing:
"As an elected official, I am responsible for maintaining high professionalism and respecting the boundaries of all I engage with. While this has always been my goal, there have been times when I may have blurred the lines and behaved in a manner that potentially made my colleagues or those who witnessed my actions uncomfortable. While it was never my intent to cause harm, I acknowledge that I have fallen short, and for this, I apologize.
When I became a leader, I made gender equity a priority in my hiring decisions. I placed women in key positions of authority, including executive director of campaigns and caucus chief of staff. Additionally, I supported critical legislation for women, including but not limited to accommodations in the workplace, women’s health, and support of the pink tax.
Our Senate Democratic caucus has always been and will remain committed to creating a welcoming environment and ensuring everyone, from interns to elected officials, feels safe and free from harassment. Since the beginning of the summer, we have been evaluating all our policies, including those regarding sexual harassment. Because we want to ensure our employees are protected and have pathways for reporting concerns without fear of retribution, the Senate Democratic caucus is currently developing a manual that will be distributed to all staff to protect further those who serve and to hold one another accountable."