WASHINGTON — Senate negotiators on Wednesday released a bipartisan bill to overhaul the system for handling sexual harassment complaints on Capitol Hill.

The bill eliminates mandatory counseling, mediation, and the ‘‘cooling off’’ period victims are currently required to wait before filing a lawsuit or requesting an administrative hearing. It also requires members of Congress to repay the Treasury for harassment and discrimination settlements, including members who have left office. If a member doesn’t pay back the settlement amount, the bill gives congressional administrative committees the authority to establish a plan to withhold the member’s pay.

More than $300,000 in taxpayer funds has been paid over the past 15 years to settle such claims.

Senators Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, and Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, introduced the bill Wednesday, months after the House passed its own version of the anti-harassment legislation.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement that they expect the bill ‘‘to pass the Senate in short order.’’

‘‘Here, as everywhere, employees must be free to work without fearing they’ll be the victim of harassment,’’ McConnell said.

The bill would require that settlements automatically be referred to the congressional ethics committees, which would review all agreements and claims alleging harassment by members to determine whether an investigation is necessary.