President Obama has signed the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act into law to increase protections for federal employees that put their careers on the line to disclose waste, fraud and abuse.
WPEA clarifies that disclosures of gross waste or mismanagement, fraud, abuse or illegal activity may be protected but not disagreements over legitimate policy decisions.
It suspends sole jurisdiction of the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals over federal whistleblower cases for two years, extends coverage to TSA, and gives disclosures of scientific or technical censorship the same status as disclosures of waste, fraud and abuse.
The bill overturns legal precedents that had stripped some protections for government whistleblowers, restores the Office of Special Counsel’s ability to seek disciplinary action against supervisors who retaliate, and holds agencies accountable for retaliatory investigations.
It also extends protections to TSA officers, effective immediately, while remaining provisions take effect December 27.
Provisions the House stripped that extend whistleblower protections to intelligence and national security personnel were added through an executive order in October, though lawmakers continue to stress the need for those provisions to be codified in law as well.