Kansas lawmaker imposes dress code on female witnesses

 

A Kansas lawmaker came under fire from female legislators Thursday after he imposed a dress code that prevents women testifying on bills from wearing low-cut necklines and miniskirts.
Republican state Sen. Mitch Holmes issued an 11-point code of conduct to guide women on how to dress. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that Holmes’ rules
don’t include any restrictions on men because, according to Holmes, men don’t need instructions on how to look professional.

"Oh, for crying out loud, what century is this?" Sen. Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat, said Thursday.
Holmes, 53, is the chairman of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee. He said he wrote the instruction because provocatively dressed women are a distraction. The guidelines don't detail a minimum skirt length or a permissible neckline for blouses.

"It's one of those things that's hard to define," Holmes said. "Put it out there and let people know we're really looking for you to be addressing the issue rather than trying to distract or bring eyes to yourself."
Holmes did think about adding a provision on how men should dress, but ultimately decided males didn’t need any guidance. He expects lobbyists to understand the rules when interacting with his committee, although he acknowledged infrequent visitors to the Statehouse might be unaware.