FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 31, 2020
House Introduces New Bill to Improve Whistleblower Legislation
Government Accountability Project Praises the Whistleblower Protection Empowerment Act as a Step Toward More Comprehensive Whistleblower Protections
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) introduced the Merit Systems Protection Board Empowerment Act of 2020 to reauthorize the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). This bill is the first step toward upgrading the original Whistleblower Protection Act to match global best practices for whistleblower protection.
Government Accountability Project Legal Director Tom Devine, stated:
“With the Whistleblower Protection Empowerment Act, the House is doing its share to restore a functional administrative remedy for whistleblowers. This is essential, since they do not have access to jury trials in court like corporate whistleblowers.
“Mr. Connolly deserves special praise for requiring that MSPB Administrative Judges who hear whistleblower cases first complete training in the Whistleblower Protection Act. Board AJ’s clearly are not on the same page as Congress: whistleblowers have been losing over 95% of administrative decisions on the merits since 2017, when their actions last faced appellate review by the full Board. Mandatory judicial training has made a major difference for whistleblower laws to work as intended in other countries.”
Contact: Andrew Harman, Director of Communications
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 457-0034 x156
Government Accountability Project
Government Accountability Project is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, Government Accountability Project’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability. Founded in 1977, Government Accountability Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.
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