Government employees who have reported sexual harassment in their workplace will have a legal avenue to defend themselves from retaliation from their employers, under a bill passed by the Georgia Senate on Monday.

The Senate voted unanimously in favor of House Bill 1390, which now heads to the governor’s desk for a signature.

The bill codifies the right for a city or county employee who reported workplace harassment to take legal action against their employer if they are faced with retaliation. The legislation would create a more navigable path for a complainant to file a lawsuit and have their case heard in court.

“If you’ve experienced harassment, gone to your superiors or employers and said ‘I’ve experienced this harassment’ and then they fire you or otherwise retaliate, this would create a new cause of action for that employee,” said Sen. Elena Parent, D-DeKalb County, who sponsored the bill in the Senate.

The legislation was filed by Rep. Teri Anulewicz, D-Cobb County, along with House Bill 1389. That bill, which would have provided more broad protections for all whistleblowers by providing a right of action for employees in other workplaces, stalled in committee. However, House Bill 1390 passed with a unanimous vote in the House on March 15.

The bill came in the wake of an investigation in Gwinnett County that determined a police chief and male captain were sexually harassing the only woman on a police department’s command staff.

Capt. Tawyna Gilovanni told the...

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