INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Senate Democrats on Monday gave state Sen. Greg Taylor another term as Senate minority leader hours after reports surfaced of multiple allegations of sexual harassment against him.

Three female former staffers, one of whom is a former intern, told the IndyStar that Taylor sexually harassed them over a period of several years.

Taylor, who represents portions of Marion County’s Pike and Center townships in the state Senate, is the second high-ranking Indianapolis Democrat to face accusations of sexual harassment in four months. Three former staffers for Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett this summer said Hogsett’s former chief of staff, Thomas Cook, sexually harassed them. Two of them spoke on the record with News 8 at the time.

Taylor did not respond to requests for comment that News 8 left at both his Senate office and the law firm where he works.

Taylor was first elected to the Senate in 2008. Senate Democrats first in November 2020 elected him minority leader, a position he has held since. Democrats reelected him behind closed doors late Monday morning. Members did not respond to inquiries but issued a joint statement late Monday afternoon.

“First and foremost, we want to sincerely apologize—to former staffers, interns and anyone else who has been affected by the culture of misconduct that has persisted within the Statehouse. We are also deeply sorry for the distraction this has caused from the important work we are elected to do on behalf of Hoosiers.”
Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus

Senate Democrats went on to say the mechanism for reporting and investigating misconduct by a member of that chamber is fundamentally flawed because any reports are made to the Senate Ethics Committee, made up of three members of each party. In their statement, Senate Democrats said this leaves it up to legislative peers to hold each other accountable. They said they would push for a more independent reporting mechanism during the next legislative session.

Monday afternoon’s statement did not mention whether Taylor would continue in his role as Senate minority leader.

Taylor was noticeably absent from Monday morning’s annual legislative preview panel discussion sponsored by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, which normally features the speaker of the House, the Senate president pro tem, and both the House and Senate minority leaders. House Speaker Todd Huston, a Fishers Republican, said he was not familiar with the allegations against Taylor, but added the Statehouse should be a safe place to work.

“Look, I am 100% concerned about any allegations of that,” he said. “I’ve told our caucus multiple times, I want the Statehouse to be a great place for everyone to work.”

When News 8 asked Huston if the Statehouse was a safe place for women to work, he replied, “I sure hope so. We fight every day to make sure it is.”

Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray left the panel before it ended but issued a statement on the allegations against Taylor late Monday afternoon.

“The Indiana Senate serves the people of the state of Indiana, and as such, we must hold ourselves to a high standard of conduct and foster a safe and positive work environment. It is extremely
disappointing when a member’s actions fall short of that standard.”

“The safety of our personnel and senators is of utmost importance. Senate policies make clear that allegations of harassment are to be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated.”
Senate President pro tem Rod Bray, R-Martinsville

Taylor’s House counterpart, House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, of Fort Wayne, condemned Taylor’s alleged behavior in a statement released Monday afternoon.

“As Indiana House Democratic Leader, I strongly condemn sexual harassment, no matter who it comes from. I cannot ignore this principle simply because a Statehouse Democrat has been accused of sexual harassment.”

[…]

“I want to remind all House employees that if something happened that you feel is worth reporting, our Ethics rules and the House’s personnel handbook provide for a confidential investigation process and guarantee protection from retaliation.”
House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne

Lawmakers in both chambers are scheduled to convene early Tuesday afternoon for Organization Day, the annual presession work day in which lawmakers are sworn in and outline their legislative priorities.