When a staffer filed a sexual harassment complaint in March against Sen. Angel Bolques Jr., the expectation was that the Legislature’s Ethical Conduct Committee would review the allegations and deliver a finding. Instead, the case laid bare a weakness in the Legislature’s own rule book: a 60-day filing deadline that stopped the committee from considering some of the most serious claims.
Senators have stated that to protect the employee, they were unable to release the full complaint, though in press releases, the Ethics Committee has said it included allegations of financial mismanagement and creating a hostile work environment, among other things. Rule 810(e) limits the Ethical Conduct Committee to complaints filed within two months of the alleged misconduct, and that restriction put some of the more serious claims out of reach, including at least one incident they said had occurred about six months prior to the filing.
With the scope narrowed, Bolques entered a no-contest plea on July 24 to a single charge — violation of his oath of office — sidestepping the broader accusations.
The full Senate took up the committee’s recommendation for a reprimand in mid-August, but added, on a 7–6 vote, a suspension without pay for 30 working days. Fifteen of those days take effect immediately; the other half are held in abeyance through the end of the year, provided Bolques complies with Senate rules. If he violates the rules again before Dec. 31, the remaining suspension — which Bolques is challenging — will be enforced.
The Legislature’s rules outline how the process is supposed to work. Any person may submit a sworn complaint, but it generally must be filed within 60 days of the alleged violation. If the complainant could not reasonably have known of the conduct within that time, the rules extend the window to 18 months.
Complaints filed within 30 days of an election are returned and may be refiled once the election passes. When probable cause is found, the committee issues a statement of alleged violations, and a disciplinary hearing must be held within 60 days. Afterward, the full Senate has 15 business days to act on the committee’s recommendation, which can range from dismissal to reprimand, suspension, censure, or expulsion. Interestingly, sexual-harassment complaints appear to be handled separately under the Legislature’s harassment policy rather than Rule 810’s deadlines.
Following the Bolques case, committee Chair Sen. Kenneth Gittens told the Source that the 60-day filing rule had “time-barred” the committee from investigating some of the most serious allegations.
“The CEC determined that we were unable to pursue the more serious allegations due to the time limitation outlined in Rule 810(f), which states that ‘a complaint may not be filed more than 60 days after the date of the alleged violation,’” he said Thursday. “After a thorough review, a majority of the CEC members agreed that this restriction unduly limits our oversight responsibilities. As chairman, I submitted an amendment on Aug. five to revise Rule 810(f), allowing the Committee to consider any complaint filed during the current legislative term and up to 60 days into the next term. This change is necessary to ensure that accountability is not obstructed by procedural technicalities.”
Senate President Milton Potter, in a call with the Source, further described the clause as a “loophole” that needed closing. Potter emphasized that the restriction undermines the Legislature’s own oversight function, and said senators were in agreement that reform was necessary. He also pointed out that, under the Senate’s rules, the Ethics Committee can only recommend sanctions; the final word rests with the full body. That balance, he said, should remain — but without technicalities preventing senators from considering the full weight of complaints brought before them.
St. Croix Source
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