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"The Democratically-led Congress may be headed for a showdown with the White House over whistleblower protection legislation that easily passed in the House earlier this week.
The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (H.R. 985) ( http://thomas.loc.go...d110:h.r.00985: ) is directed at guarding federal employees at security and scientific agencies, as well as contractors. House members passed it by a vote of 331-94; the White House has threatened a veto.
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This is precisely the kind of legislation each and every one of us should be vehemently demanding passage for, because without people on the inside of government who are willing - and able - to come forward with abuses and outright illegalities within government - then we will never be able to find out about OR correct them.
Find your Senator(s) here: http://www.theorator.com/senate.html and your Rep here: http://www.theorator...ment/house.html , contact them and urge them in the strongest possible terms to SUPPORT this bill! Pete
For a complete over-view of what H.R. 985 is all about, please click here:
http://www.fas.org/s...sec/RL33918.pdf .
Page 17 & 18 sum it up, but the whole thing is worth reading:
"Summary of the Whistleblower Protection
Enhancement Act of 2007 (H.R. 985, 110th Congress)
On February 12, 2007, Representatives Waxman, Platts, Van Hollen, and T.
Davis introduced H.R. 985 (110th Cong.), the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement
Act of 2007, which on March 9, the House Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform reported with amendments (H.Rept. 110-42), and placed on the legislative
calendar.
H.R. 985 would amend the WPA to extend whistleblower protections to federal
employees who specialize in national security issues. While current law expressly
exempts employees of certain agencies relating to national security, Section 10 of the
bill extends whistleblower protections to employees of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the
National Reconnaissance Office and “any other Executive agency, or element or unit
thereof, determined by the President ... to have as its principal function the conduct
of foreign intelligence or counterintelligence activities.” Likewise, Section 11 of the
bill would extend whistleblower protections to employees of companies with
government contracts.
Current law defines “disclosures” covered by the WPA to include information
evidencing an abuse of authority. Section 13 of the bill would extend WPA
protections to employees of science-based agencies by providing that “abuse of
authority” includes “any action that compromises the validity or accuracy of federally
funded research and analysis” and “the dissemination of false or misleading
scientific, medical, or technical information.”
Section 3 of the bill would clarify that “any” disclosure regarding waste, fraud,
or abuse means that the WPA applies to such disclosures “without restriction as to
time, place, form, motive, context, or prior disclosure” and includes formal and
informal communication. Section 4 of the bill would provide that an employee
covered by the WPA can rebut the presumption that a federal official performed his or her duties in accordance with the law by providing substantial evidence to the
contrary. In addition, Section 9 of the bill would provide that such covered
employees may bring an action for de novo review in the appropriate U.S. district
court if the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) does not take action on their
claims within 180 days."
Folks, there's not a reason in the world not to be urging your Senators to both co-sponsor and vote in favor of this bill in numbers that can over-ride the threatened veto.
If you haven't already FAX'ed your Senators about this PLEASE do so.
This is a copy of the letter I just FAX'ed to my Senators (both of them):
PLEASE Vote in Favor of and/or CO-SPONSOR H.R. 985 (Whistleblower Protection
Enhancement Act of 2007 (H.R. 985, 110th Congress)
when it reaches your desk as a bill to be voted on in the Senate.
The president has already threatened to veto it – but there’s not a single reason on
God’s green Earth NOT to vote in FAVOR of this bill.
If the people on the inside are not allowed to bring forward their knowledge of
illegal practices within the various organizations, then all the current abuses – and
more – will be forever hidden from oversight, review and correction.
Considering the fact that a lot of these illegalities and abuses involve you, your staff
and your family, it only makes sense that the truth be allowed a proper venue for
oversight, OPEN legal review and correction and punishment.
PLEASE vote in FAVOR of this bill. Thank you. (Signed)
Please feel free to c&p it into your OWN FAX to YOUR Senators. Use the links in the first post to find their FAX numbers! Pete
