Al Franken and the definition of harassment

Sen. Al Franken introduced a bill today designed to protect gay and lesbian students from bullying at school.

There was a moment in his conversation with MPR’s Cathy Wurzer this morning that caught some attention.

After Franken described the case of Alex Merritt, the Anoka-Hennepin student who was allegedly bullied by two teachers, Wurzer asked Franken to define what constitutes harrassment.

“I think that harassment and bullying is one of these things where you know when you see it,” the senator replied. And that might be true, but the law usually requires a definition.

So Wurzer asked how it’s defined in Franken’s bill.

“I don’t believe we have language in it to define bullying, but maybe I do. I’m not sure about that aspect of the bill.”