Colorado’s House ethics panel admonished a Republican legislator over allegations he used a master key to access areas of the Capitol that he was not permitted to enter and that he had made sexually harassing comments to several female lawmakers.

In addition to sending a letter to Rep. Ron Weinberg, R-Loveland, the House Ethics Committee committee ordered the legislator to attend sexual harassment prevention training.

The allegations against Weinberg were contained in a complaint filed by Rep. Brandi Bradley, R-Roxborough Park, last July. She also filed a campaign finance complaint, which included some of the same allegations.

The ethics committee decided to leave the campaign finance complaint to the Secretary of State’s Office, where a hearing is pending.

Under the rules, Weinberg had the right to seek a hearing, which he requested on March 4. However, on March 10, he withdrew that request, according to committee Chair Rep. Karen McCormick, D-Longmont.

The committee’s task on Tuesday, given that it found probable cause on the two issues, had been to determine what action it would propose.

The members had several options: Fines, censure, an apology, a letter of admonishment and a sexual harassment training.

The committee settled on recommending a letter of admonishment — to be drafted by the minority and majority leaders of the House. That letter will include a recommendation for sexual harassment training, as conducted by the legislature’s human resources office.

The letter will also note the ethics committee disapproved of the behavior that took place at the Brown Palace and that is behavior unbecoming of a lawmaker.

The issue of sexual harassment wasn’t quite as cut and dried for one committee member.

Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, noted that requiring someone to undertake sexual harassment training is something that happens when there is black and white evidence showing a person engaged in sexual harassment conduct.

That the committee never got the opportunity to hold an evidentiary hearing to establish the facts made Soper uneasy about recommending the training.

“The evidence points to a direction that would warrant the training,” he said. But, he added, “it also falls short of really being able to clearly say that it reaches that next level of asking him to undertake training.”

McCormick noted the committee did find probable cause for the allegation involving what happened at the Brown Palace, and that there were people who backed up the allegation, as well as some who did not. It doesn’t rise to the level of a censure of fines, she said, but enough to warrant the training, which anyone could benefit from.

Two motions on the letter passed unanimously. The committee is also preparing a report that will be submitted to the House Speaker, who could have it distributed through the House journal.