Whistleblower Empowerment, Security, and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2006
Latest action · Mar 28, 2006 Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs referred to Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 14, 2006
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Whistleblower Empowerment, Security, and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2006 - Modifies federal criminal law provisions relating to tampering with or retaliating against a witness, victim, or an informant.
Allows a victim of a prohibited personnel practice to bring a civil action against a covered entity and to recover damages. Makes any prospective waiver of the right of any individual to file a civil action under this Act void and unenforceable.
Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to allow an Inspector General (IG) to be removed from office prior to the expiration of that IG's term only on one of the following grounds: (1) permanent incapacity; (2) inefficiency; (3) neglect of duty; (4) malfeasance; or (5) conviction of a felony or conduct involving moral turpitude.
Establishes the term of office of an IG as seven years and permits reappointment.
Authorizes an IG to annually transmit an appropriation estimate and request to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and to the appropriate congressional committees, in addition to the head of the establishment concerned. Requires the President to include in each annual budget specified IG appropriation information.
Prohibits any funds appropriated for activities under the supervision of an IG from being reprogrammed, transferred, or otherwise spent for any other purpose without such IG's written consent.
Directs each IG to: (1) create and maintain a hotline for employees confidentially reporting alleged violations; and (2) compile a statistical summary of all allegations for annual reporting to Congress.
Sets forth a special rule regarding revocation of security clearances.
Permits the creation of whistleblower affairs directorates within offices of IGs.
Includes coverage of certain planned disclosures of information under prohibited personnel practices provisions.
Permits petitions for the appointment of special prosecutor to handle cases alleging prohibited personnel practices.
Directs the Comptroller General to study the costs of retaliation against or suppression of whistleblowers.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee | Referred Feb 15, 2006 |
| Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia Subcommittee | Referred Mar 28, 2006 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 28, 2006Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs referred to Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia.
- Feb 14, 2006Introduced in Senate
- Feb 14, 2006Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 109-58 | UNDERSEA RESEARCH AND OCEAN EXPLORATION: H.R. 3835, THE NATIONAL OCEAN EXPLORATION PROGRAM ACT OF 2005 AND THE UNDERSEA RESEARCH PROGRAM ACT OF 200570 pages | Science, Space, and Technology Committee | Jul 27, 2006 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to improve the protection of witnesses, victims, and informants.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Whistleblower Empowerment, Security, and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2006
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Administrative remedies
- Appropriations
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Civil actions and liability
- Confidential communications
- Congress
- Congressional investigations
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Congressional witnesses
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Damages
- Disciplining of employees
- Dismissal of employees
- Economics and Public Finance
- Evidence (Law)
- Federal employees
- Federal officials
- Fines (Penalties)
- Fraud
- Government contractors
- Government Operations and Politics
- Governmental investigations
- Grievance procedures
- Informers
- Inspectors general
- Intelligence officers
- Law
- Leave of absence
- Legal fees
- Members of Congress
- Misconduct in office
- Murder
- Removal of officials
- Reprogramming of appropriated funds
- Security clearances
- Special prosecutors
- Victims of crimes
- Waste in government spending
- Whistle blowing
- Witnesses
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 14, 2006Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.