{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr69-115/featured_thoroughly-investigating-retaliation-against-whistleblowers-act-1483516821.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr69-115/featured_large_thoroughly-investigating-retaliation-against-whistleblowers-act-1483516821.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr69-115.png"},"introduced_on":"2017-01-03","title_override":"Does the Agency Protecting Federal Whistleblowers Need to be Reauthorized?","summary_override":"

This bill would reauthorize the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) — which is responsible for protecting current, former, and prospective federal employees from retaliation for whistleblowing — through fiscal year 2020. Whistleblowers report abuse, illegal activity, mismanagement of funds, or other prohibited practices within the government and have at times faced retaliation for their efforts, with some being forced out of their jobs.

The OSC’s process for investigating whistleblower complaints would be reformed to make it easier for it to collect evidence from agencies that are withholding information and documents from investigations. Rather than only having 15 days to review a complaint, the OSC could spend 45 days in review and require an agency being investigated to explain why it hadn’t taken action to address a problem reported by the OSC.

To ensure that the OSC isn’t bogged down by repeated complaints, the agency could end an investigation if it has previously been informed of an allegation by the same person, if it doesn’t have jurisdiction, or if the person should have known more than three years before the OSC was alerted.

","official_title":"To reauthorize the Office of Special Counsel, to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide modifications to authorities relating to the Office of Special Counsel, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Thoroughly Investigating Retaliation Against Whistleblowers Act","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)\n\nThoroughly Investigating Retaliation Against Whistleblowers Act\n\n(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 to reauthorize through FY2021 the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency led by an official appointed by the President to protect federal employees, former employees, and applicants for employment from prohibited personnel practices (i.e., employment-related activities that violate the merit system through discrimination, retaliation, improper hiring practices, or failure to adhere to employment law).\n\n(Sec. 3) The OSC shall have access to any record or other information of any agency under its jurisdiction. The Department of Justice (DOJ) or an inspector general may withhold access to information if the disclosure could interfere with an ongoing criminal i...","summarized":true,"cost":106000000,"cost_commentary":"The CBO estimated during the previous Congress that implementing this bill would cost $106 million over the 2017-2021 period.","impact":"Whistleblowers, whether they’re current, former, or prospective federal employees; federal agencies being investigated by the OSC; and the OSC.","argument_for":"Waste and abuse will always plague the federal government unless whistleblowers are empowered to speak up and protected when they do, so this bill to reauthorize the entity that protects them must pass.","argument_against":"There is no doubt that whistleblowers should be protected from retaliation, but this bill creates additional burdens for agencies being investigated for improper actions against whistleblowers by the Office of Special Counsel.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr69-115","bill_id":"hr69-115","formal_id":"H.R. 69","chamber":"house","congress":115,"last_action_at":"2017-01-05T00:00:00.000Z","active":true,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":"2017-01-04T18:34:15.000Z","debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/house-bill/69","plain_text_url":"https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-115hr69rfs/html/BILLS-115hr69rfs.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr69-115.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/house-bill/69/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2017-01-05","related_bill_ids":[],"progress":"Passed House","house_passage_result":true,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":568,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Oversight and Reform","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSGO","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs","chamber":"senate","committee_id":"SSGA","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr69-115","details":"/api/bills/hr69-115/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr69-115","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr69-115/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr69-115/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":3,"slug":"hr69-115-thoroughly-investigating-retaliation-against-whistleblowers-act","latest_chamber_votes_id":null,"official_url":null,"target_video":false,"following":false,"vote_count":8532,"yea_vote_count":7000,"nay_vote_count":661,"passed_house":true,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["government","legal-affairs"],"issue_ids":["federal-agencies","government","legal-affairs"],"sponsor_id":27}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"federal-agencies","name":"Federal Agencies","slug":"federal-agencies","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Federal Agencies. 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Does the Agency Protecting Federal Whistleblowers Need to be Reauthorized?