Senate Passes Whistleblower Reforms
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate, with a unanimous vote, passed the Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act (S.274). This new law enhances the protection for federal employee whistleblowers.
Passage of S.274 now sets the stage for a conference between the House and Senate to agree final legislative language. On March 14, 2007 the House enacted the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (H.R. 985), which expanded the scope of whistleblower protections to national security related agencies, permitted employees to obtain jury trials in federal court, provided enhanced protections for federal contractors and protected employees who exposed misconduct to their managers.
According to the Government Accountability Project (GAP), the Whistleblower Protection Act reform has been struggling for eight years to reach the end of a convoluted approval process. Proud supporters include the bi-partisan efforts of Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) Susan Collins (R-ME), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Carl Levin (D-MI) and Richard Durbin (D-IL). In 2004 and 2005 the bill passed committee, but was blocked by procedural holds. Last year Senators Levin and John Warner (R-VA) obtained its Senate approval as part of the Defense Authorization funding bill, but it was killed in the conference committee on the defense bill.
Unfortunately, the GAP also mentions that S. 274 does not contain five critical reforms passed in March by the U.S. House of Representatives in H.R. 985, co-sponsored by Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Rep. Todd Platts (R-PA). The House-passed reforms include protection for national security whistleblowers at the FBI and intelligence agencies, protection for government contractors, protection for federal baggage screeners, jury trials for a fair day in court, and reinforced protections for federally-funded scientists. The House passed H.R. 985 by a 331-94 vote, a veto-proof majority, despite a threat to veto the legislation issued by the Bush administration the day prior to the vote.
All things considered we have made progress with this new legislation. Let's see if Congress can continue to work together and do what is right in regards to this whistleblower legislation that aims at protecting our brave citizens that come forward and report fraud against their employers.
We're counting on our elected officials to make this a reality so that whistleblower rights can be enforced and protected.
