Violation of any law, rule or regulation; Substantial and specific danger to public health or safety. 1201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite #624, Washington DC 20036. In order to show a substantial likelihood of wrongdoing under the Whistleblower Protection Act, you must provide reliable, first-hand knowledge of the misconduct. Pursuant to the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012, the following statement applies to non-disclosure policies, forms, or agreements of the federal government with current or former employees, including those in effect before the Act’s effective date of December 27, 2012: “These provisions are consistent with and do not supersede, conflict with, or otherwise alter the employee obligations, rights, or liabilities created by existing statute or Executive Order relating to (1) classified information, (2) communications to Congress, (3) the reporting to an Inspector General of a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or (4) any other whistleblower protection. Whistleblowers' Protection Act Any employee who wishes to file a complaint under RSA 275-E, must first complete Whistleblowers' Complaint Form, below. The WPEA clarifies the scope of protected disclosures and establishes that the disclosure does not lose protection because: If the information you are looking for is not here, you may be able to find it on the EPA Web Archive or the January 19, 2017 Web Snapshot. If you’ve already made disclosures as a whistleblower and you feel you’ve been treated unfairly as a result, you may report the retaliation to the OSC. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. It is important for Congress to enact clarifying amendments to certain whistleblower provisions in the Civil Service Reform Act and the statute protecting the confidentiality of intelligence community whistleblowers. The Privacy Act prevents any disclosure of the personal information of a government employee without their consent. The definitions, requirements, obligations, rights, sanctions, and liabilities created by controlling Executive orders and statutory provisions are incorporated into this agreement and are controlling. If an agency fails to preserve the confidentiality of a whistleblower who made a protected disclosure in a manner deemed intentional or willful, the amendment would detail remedies in the form of compensatory damages including but not limited to non-monetary damages for farm to reputation or emotional distress. In response, the National Whistleblower Center has launched a grassroots campaign that demands Congress pass needed legislation to permit federal employee whistleblowers to file cases in federal district courts. Whistleblower disclosures can save lives as well as billions of taxpayer dollars. App.) Actions ordered can include restoring one's job, reversing suspensions, taking disciplinary action against a supervisor, and reimbursing attorney fees, medical and other costs, and damages. It is unlawful for your employer to retaliate against you for making a “protected disclosure.” A disclosure is protected if it meets two criteria: In general, employees may disclose information to anyone, including non-governmental audiences, unless the information is classified or specifically prohibited by law from release. (governing disclosures that could expose confidential Government agents); The statutes which protect against disclosure that may compromise the national security, including Sections 641, 793, 794, 798, and 952 of Title 18, United States Code; and. We were created pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended Exit. The OIG’s Whistleblower Protection Coordinator carries out a number of key functions, including: Educating DOJ employees and managers about prohibitions on retaliation for protected disclosures; The controlling Executive Orders and statutory provisions in the event of any conflict with a non-disclosure policy, form, or agreement include, as of March 14, 2013: In memory of OIG Special Agent William "Buddy" Sentner Reg. The Inspector General Act requires the DOJ OIG to designate an individual to serve as the OIG’s Whistleblower Protection Coordinator. During his remarks, Colapinto stressed crucial components for effective anti-retaliation protections to work. (202) 566-1513. However, it’s vitally important to know what types of disclosures are protected, who can be considered a whistleblower, and the procedures you must follow for making disclosures and filing retaliation claims. Complaints may be filed with the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). And in January 2018, the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act became law, extending whistleblower protections to contractors, who make up around a quarter of the intelligence community workforce. 783(b)). Government employees also are protected from retaliation by the First Amendment, within certain limits. Any identifying information is confidential source material, and OIG employees must not disclose such information except to other OIG employees who have a need to know in connection with their official duties. The definitions, requirements, obligations, rights, sanctions, and liabilities created by controlling Executive Orders and statutory provisions are incorporated into this agreement and are controlling.”. Gross mismanagement of a Federal contract or grant; Abuse of authority relating to a Federal contract or grant, Substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or. Recognizing that whistleblowers root out waste, fraud and abuse and protect public health and safety, federal laws strongly encourage employees to disclose wrongdoing. 403q(d)(5) and 403q(e)(3)) (relating to disclosures to the Inspector General of the Central Intelligence Agency and Congress); and. However, in the years since, a large framework of laws and executive orders have emerged governing whistleblowers in the intelligence community, including the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, Presidential Policy Directive 19 (“Protecting Whistleblowers with Access to Classified Information”), and the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014.