ALBANY — State Sen. Catharine Young, R-Olean, announced Friday she is pursuing stronger sexual harassment laws that would make allegations harder to hide.

Young and Senator Elaine Phillips of the Seventh Senate District are co-sponsoring a measure that would ban secret settlements, establish a statutory definition of sexual harassment and expand other definitions.

Young said the move is in light of the last two months, during which several politicians, artists, lawmakers and powerful figures have had a litany of sexual harassment and abuse allegations lodged against them. She called this time a “defining moment” as the country deals with the “apparent pervasiveness of this problem along with our resolve to take action.”

“There is no place in our government, or society as a whole, for sexual assault or harassment,” added Phillips.

The legislation, S.6972, would:

Prohibit courts from accepting any settlements that include confidentiality agreements or provisions.

Prohibit mandatory arbitration for sexual harassment complaints.

Expand the definition of “employer” to include those who employ independent contractors.

Adopt the definition of “sexual harassment” into state law. Although the NYS Division of Human Rights has a definition it uses administratively, there is currently no definition in statute of what constitutes sexual harassment.

“Behind the revelations of recent weeks are real people — women and men who bear emotional scars from the harassment they endured and from the burden of remaining silent for so long,” Young said. “Yet, their stories and experiences have provoked a long-overdue national dialogue on sexual harassment and will lead to important changes in our laws.”