A Republican senator who is set to lead a committee under a new Republican-majority coalition violated a Senate policy on treatment of staff shortly after she was allowed back into her party's caucus last year, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

A report compiled by a subcommittee created last summer solely to investigate incidents involving Sen. Pam Roach of Auburn found that Roach violated the Senate's respectful workplace policy in March. The report says she verbally attacked a Senate Republican staffer who was charged with upholding sanctions that had previously been imposed on Roach that prevent her from having direct contact with staff.

Last month, two Democrats announced they would work with Republicans under a newly formed caucus called the "majority coalition" caucus and that the sanctions against Roach would be lifted and she would be chairwoman of the Senate Government Operations, Tribal Relations & Elections Committee.