HR 5790 · 114th Congress 2015–2017, ended

Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016

Introduced Jul 14, 2016 Originated House Became Public Law 114-302 Sponsor Jason Chaffetz R-UT

Latest action · Dec 16, 2016 Became Public Law No: 114-302.

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.

IntroducedJul 14, 2016
Passed HouseDec 7, 2016
Passed SenateDec 10, 2016
To the PresidentDec 15, 2016
Became lawDec 16, 2016Public Law 114-302

Summary

Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill revises a provision with respect to whistle-blower protections for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employee or job applicant who discloses wrongdoing to an appropriate official.

It prohibits an FBI employee from taking or failing to take a personnel action (e.g., demotion) with respect to an FBI employee or applicant because of a protected disclosure. A protected disclosure is a disclosure of information to an appropriate official which an employee or applicant reasonably believes evidences: (1) a violation of a law, rule, or regulation; or (2) waste, fraud, or abuse.

Additionally, the bill expands the list of appropriate officials who may receive a protected disclosure to include, among others, a supervisor in an employee's direct chain of command.

Recorded votes 1

Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.

Roll call	Question	Result	Date
House 616	On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended	Passed404–0	Dec 7, 2016

Cosponsors 12

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 14, 2016 to Sep 26, 2016; 9 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
D-MD	Elijah E. Cummings	Original	Jul 14, 2016
R-WI	F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr.	Original	Jul 14, 2016
D-NY	Hakeem S. Jeffries	Original	Jul 14, 2016
D-CA	Jackie Speier	Original	Jul 14, 2016
D-MI	John Conyers, Jr.	Original	Jul 14, 2016
R-CO	Mike Coffman	Original	Jul 14, 2016
R-IA	Rod Blum	Original	Jul 14, 2016
R-TX	Ted Poe	Original	Jul 14, 2016
R-SC	Tom Rice	Original	Jul 14, 2016
D-MA	Stephen F. Lynch		Sep 6, 2016
D-MD	Chris Van Hollen		Sep 21, 2016
D-NY	Kathleen M. Rice		Sep 26, 2016

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Oversight and Government Reform Committee	Referred Jul 14, 2016Markup Sep 15, 2016Reported Nov 29, 2016

Actions 19

Everything that happened, newest first.

Dec 16, 2016Signed by President.
Dec 16, 2016Became Public Law No: 114-302.
Dec 15, 2016Presented to President.
Dec 12, 2016Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Dec 10, 2016Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S7128-7131)
Dec 7, 2016Mr. Chaffetz moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Dec 7, 2016Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H7312-7313)
Dec 7, 2016DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5790.
Dec 7, 2016At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
Dec 7, 2016Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H7326)
Dec 7, 2016Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 404 - 0 (Roll no. 616). (text: CR H7312-7313)
Dec 7, 2016Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Dec 7, 2016Received in the Senate, read twice.
Nov 29, 2016Reported by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 114-835.
Nov 29, 2016Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 656.
Sep 15, 2016Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Sep 15, 2016Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.
Jul 14, 2016Introduced in House
Jul 14, 2016Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

In the Congressional Record 2

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

Where	In the Record	Members	Date
Senate	Debate and remarks S7128–S7130	Chuck Grassley R-IA, Patrick J. Leahy D-VT, Rob Portman R-OH	Dec 9, 2016
House	Debate and remarks H7312, H7313Text printed H7312Recorded votes H7326enact	Brenda L. Lawrence D-MI, Jason Chaffetz R-UT	Dec 7, 2016

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.

Committee report

H. Rept. 114-835

Congressional Budget Office cost estimate

Nov 28, 2016H.R. 5790, Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016As ordered reported by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on September 15, 2016

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section 8, Clause 1, United States Constitution (Providing for the common defense and general welfare of the United States).

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 162, no. 114, July 14, 2016, page H5012.

CRS reports 4

Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.

Cite it 4

Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.

Product	Title	Kind	Published
97-1011	Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables	Report	May 6, 2026
R44686	Gun Control: FY2017 Appropriations for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Other Initiatives Archived	Report	Aug 7, 2017
R43985	FY2016 Appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ) Archived	Report	Feb 8, 2016
R44189	Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF): FY2016 Appropriations Archived	Report	Dec 30, 2015

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
S 2390	Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016	Related bill	May 25, 2016

Titles 6

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To provide adequate protections for whistleblowers at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Short Titles as Introduced: Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016
Short Titles as Reported to House: Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016
Short Titles as Passed House: Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016
Short Titles as Passed Senate: Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016
Short Titles as Enacted: Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.

Text 5

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

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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.