No FEAR Act of 2009
Latest action · Feb 9, 2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.
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.
- IntroducedJan 6, 2009
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2009 or the No FEAR Act of 2009 - Amends the Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002, or No FEAR Act of 2002, to require a federal agency, after receiving a final finding of discrimination, to arrange with the Department of the Treasury for a two-year schedule for reimbursing the Judgment Fund for its payment to a federal employee, former federal employee, or applicant for federal employment who has prevailed in an anti-discrimination or whistle blower protection complaint.
Requires a federal agency to: (1) give written notification of the federal employee rights and protections available to any employee of a contractor receiving more than half of its annual gross revenues from federal contracts; and (2) notify its employees annually of the agency's Internet site.
Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report annually to specified congressional and executive entities on the total costs incurred for processing and litigating cases involving prohibited personnel practices.
Requires each federal agency to establish performance goals reflective of its efforts to implement such Act.
Specifies the No FEAR Institute as a source of training and counseling for federal employees regarding their rights and remedies under antidiscrimination, retaliation, and harassment, as well as whistleblower protection laws.
Prescribes disciplinary action an agency must take against a culpable official in: (1) a case in which the official's discriminatory or retaliatory acts have contributed to a loss of life or limb or any other substantial diminishment of an employee's mental or physical health; or (2) other cases of discrimination.
Prescribes monetary penalties for each week an agency failed to take action against employees who falsify evidence in a proceeding under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and any agency that becomes aware of a criminal violation to refer the matter to the Department of Justice for prosecution when agency officials are found liable for intimidating or harassing employees that testify before Congress.
Directs the Comptroller General to ensure that a No FEAR Oversight Office is created within GAO.
Sets the liability limits for federal workplace discrimination cases under Title VII at $300,000 per each claim or alleged violation.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 25, 2009 to May 12, 2009.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Mar 25, 2009 | |
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | May 12, 2009 |
Actions 5
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 9, 2009Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.
- Jan 6, 2009Introduced in House
- Jan 6, 2009Referred to House Judiciary
- Jan 6, 2009Referred to House Oversight and Government Reform
- Jan 6, 2009Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Civil actions and liability
- Congressional operations and organization
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Employment and training programs
- Employment discrimination and employee rights
- Evidence and witnesses
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Government Accountability Office (GAO)
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
- Government information and archives
- Government liability
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government trust funds
- Performance measurement
- Public contracts and procurement
- Worker safety and health
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 6, 2009Introduced in House
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.