S. 372 would amend chapter 23 of title 5, United States Code, to clarify the disclosures of information protected from prohibited personnel practices, require a statement in nondisclosure policies, forms, and agreements that such policies, forms, and agreements conform with certain disclosure protections, provide certain authority for the Special Counsel.
Detailed Summary
Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009 - Amends federal personnel law relating to whistleblower protections to: (1) expand the concept of protected disclosure to include lawful disclosures without restriction to time, place, form, motive, context, forum, or prior disclosure, including a disclosure made in the ordinary course of an employee's duties; (2) define evidentiary standards applicable to whistleblower disclosures; (3) include as a prohibited personnel practice against whistleblowers the implementation of enforcement of any nondisclosure policy, form, or agreement, a suspension or revocation of a security clearance, and an investigation of a whistleblower; (4) permit whistleblowers to file appeals in any federal court of appeals of competent jurisdiction; (5) authorize the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to obtain review of a final order of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) interpreting whistleblower protections under specified circumstances; (6) grant authority to the MSPB to determine whether whistleblower security clearances were properly suspended or revoked; (7) make whistleblower protections applicable to employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and individuals who disclose censorship by federal agencies of research, analysis, or technical information that causes any violation of law or gross mismanagement, waste, abuse of authority or that poses a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety; and (8) require the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the implementation of this Act and on the revocation of whistleblower security clearances.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 7/29/2009: Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Points in Favor
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From the Blog
WashingtonWatch.com Digest – September 14, 2009
This is the WashingtonWatch.com email newsletter for the week of September 14, 2009. Subscribe here. email newsletter | tell a friend | wiki | about | home | log in From the Blog: The Catfish Genome The earmark data collected on Washington...