Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx, during a visit to Western New York spoke about the state’s recent settlement with a sexual harassment victim.

It was a former Assemblyman from the region, Dennis Gabryszak, who was accused of harassing seven different female staffers. While Gabryszak’s litigation in state and federal court is ongoing, New York agreed to pay one of those staffers $125,000 in damages and lost wages.

“Hopefully it brings closure to the victim,” Heastie said.

The Speaker said hopefully the settlement as well as more stringent laws dealing with sexual harassment, which the governor signed this week will signal an end to that kind of culture in Albany.

“For us in the Assembly, I want to make it very clear that we want to make sure that all employees are comfortable and free of harassment,” he said.

Gabryszak resigned in January 2014 following the accusations and prior to Heastie becoming Assembly Speaker. However, addressing sexual harassment has been a continued point of emphasis for lawmakers in recent years.

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