Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016
Latest action · May 25, 2016 By Senator Grassley from Committee on the Judiciary filed written report. Report No. 114-261.
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.
- IntroducedDec 10, 2015
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016
(Sec. 2) This bill revises whistle-blower protections for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employee or job applicant who discloses wrongdoing to an appropriate official.
Specifically, it prohibits an FBI or Department of Justice (DOJ) 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. The bill expands the list of appropriate officials who may receive a protected disclosure to include a supervisor in an employee's direct chain of command.
Additionally, the bill sets forth procedures for filing, investigating, adjudicating, and reviewing whistle-blower retaliation complaints.
An FBI employee or applicant may file a complaint with DOJ's Office of Inspector General (OIG), which must investigate and decide whether reasonable grounds exist to believe that a prohibited personnel action occurred.
If either party files an objection to the OIG's decision, then an administrative law judge (ALJ) must review it, on the record, and issue a written decision. The ALJ's determination becomes final, unless it is appealed to or reviewed by DOJ. Any ALJ or DOJ determination is subject to judicial review.
Cosponsors 11
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Dec 10, 2015 to Jun 15, 2016; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | Original | Dec 10, 2015 |
| D-MO | Claire McCaskill | Feb 29, 2016 | |
| R-IL | Mark Kirk | Feb 29, 2016 | |
| R-WI | Ron Johnson | Feb 29, 2016 | |
| D-OR | Ron Wyden | Feb 29, 2016 | |
| R-NC | Thom Tillis | Feb 29, 2016 | |
| D-MA | Edward J. Markey | Mar 7, 2016 | |
| R-UT | Orrin G. Hatch | Mar 7, 2016 | |
| D-WI | Tammy Baldwin | Mar 17, 2016 | |
| R-UT | Mike Lee | Apr 14, 2016 | |
| D-NM | Martin Heinrich | Jun 15, 2016 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Dec 10, 2015Markup Apr 14, 2016Reported Apr 14, 2016 |
Actions 6
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 25, 2016By Senator Grassley from Committee on the Judiciary filed written report. Report No. 114-261.
- Apr 14, 2016Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Apr 14, 2016Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- Apr 14, 2016Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 421.
- Dec 10, 2015Introduced in Senate
- Dec 10, 2015Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S8605; text of measure as introduced: CR S8606-8607)
In the Congressional Record 1
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 S8605–S8607Text printed S8606 | Chuck Grassley R-IA (text), Patrick J. Leahy D-VT | Dec 10, 2015 |
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
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Nov 22, 2016S. 2390, Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016As reported by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on April 14, 2016
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 5790 | Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016 | Related bill | Dec 16, 2016 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill 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 2015
- Short Titles as Reported to Senate
- Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
- Administrative remedies
- Congressional oversight
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Department of Justice
- Employment discrimination and employee rights
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government studies and investigations
- Judicial review and appeals
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 14, 2016Reported to Senate
- Dec 10, 2015Introduced 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.
