State Rep. James Talarico (D-District 50), Texas’ Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, did not answer questions from The Dallas Express about whether lawmakers should be prohibited from dating employees they supervise after his campaign provided conflicting accounts of when he began dating his former chief of staff.

Conflicting Accounts

The campaign did not respond to questions about whether Talarico supports an equivalent Texas restriction and whether it should cover paid and unpaid interns. The outlet also asked when his relationship with former chief of staff Brianna Menard began and whether he has dated any other legislative employee or intern while in office.

The New York Times reported that Talarico’s relationship with Menard began while she remained a top aide. However, the campaign’s account of when the relationship started has been inconsistent. A statement provided to Texas Scorecard on June 1 said Talarico and Menard developed feelings while she worked as his chief of staff but did not begin dating until after she left his office.

House Rules and Proposals

Current U.S. House rules prohibit members from engaging in a sexual relationship with an employee they supervise or an employee of a committee on which they serve. The definition of employee expressly includes paid and unpaid interns, internship applicants, and other employment applicants.

A women-led bipartisan House working group, led by U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Florida) and U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-New Mexico), is considering whether to recommend expanding the chamber’s existing prohibition on member-staffer sexual relationships to all House employees.

Original reporting: The Dallas Express — read the source article.