Whistleblower Protection Coordination Act
Latest action · Jun 25, 2018 Became Public Law No: 115-192.
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.
- IntroducedSep 27, 2017
- Passed SenateMar 15, 2018
- Passed HouseJun 7, 2018
- To the PresidentJun 14, 2018
- Became lawJun 25, 2018Public Law 115-192
Summary
Whistleblower Protection Coordination Act
(Sec. 2) This bill permanently extends the requirement for inspectors general (IGs) to designate a Whistleblower Protection Ombudsman to educate agency employees about prohibitions on retaliation, and the rights and remedies against retaliation, for protected disclosures.
The bill renames the Whistleblower Protection Ombudsman as the Whistleblower Protection Coordinator. It also expands the responsibilities of a Whistleblower Protection Coordinator to include the following:
- educating employees about specific rights and remedies (e.g., the means by which an employee may seek review of an allegation of reprisal);
- assisting the IG in promoting the timely and appropriate handling and consideration of protected disclosures and allegations of reprisal; and
- assisting the IG in facilitating communication and coordination with other relevant persons and entities regarding timely and appropriate handling and consideration of protected disclosures, allegations of reprisal, and other general matters.
A Whistleblower Protection Coordinator must have direct access to the IG to accomplish such responsibilities.
The bill also expands the responsibilities of the Council on the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency to include the following:
- facilitating the work of the Whistleblower Protection Coordinators; and
- developing best practices for promoting the timely and appropriate handling and consideration of protected disclosures, allegations of reprisal, and other matters.
Finally, the bill adds reporting requirements for semiannual reports. Specifically, with respect to instances of whistle-blower retaliation by an official, an Office of Inspector General must report on (1) the actual consequences imposed on the official who engaged in retaliation, and (2) whether a settlement agreement was entered with that official.
Cosponsors 4
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Sep 27, 2017 to Oct 4, 2017; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MO | Claire McCaskill | Original | Sep 27, 2017 |
| R-WI | Ron Johnson | Original | Sep 27, 2017 |
| D-OR | Ron Wyden | Original | Sep 27, 2017 |
| D-NH | Margaret Wood Hassan | Oct 4, 2017 |
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 Sep 27, 2017Markup Oct 4, 2017Reported Dec 14, 2017 |
Actions 17
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 25, 2018Signed by President.
- Jun 25, 2018Became Public Law No: 115-192.
- Jun 14, 2018Presented to President.
- Jun 7, 2018Considered by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR H4870-4871)
- Jun 7, 2018Mr. Blum asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table and consider.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H4870Text printed H4870 | Rod Blum R-IA | Jun 7, 2018 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S1770Text printed S1771Amendments S1768, S1770, S1771 | Chuck Grassley R-IA (amendment), Mitch McConnell R-KY | Mar 15, 2018 |
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
- Dec 6, 2017S. 1869, Whistleblower Protection Coordination ActAs ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on October 4, 2017
Amendments 1
Amendments offered to this bill.
| Amendment | Description | Offered by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA 2211 | To modify the repeal of sunset provision. | Chuck Grassley R-IA | Amendment SA 2211 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent. |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 4043 | Whistleblower Protection Extension Act of 2017 | Related bill | Mar 7, 2018 |
Titles 8
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title
- An act to reauthorize and rename the position of Whistleblower Ombudsman to be the Whistleblower Protection Coordinator
- Short Title
- Whistleblower Protection Coordination Act
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to reauthorize and rename the position of Whistleblower Ombudsman to be the Whistleblower Protection Coordinator.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Whistleblower Protection Coordination Act
- Short Titles as Reported to Senate
- Whistleblower Protection Coordination Act
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Whistleblower Protection Coordination Act
- Short Titles as Passed Senate
- Whistleblower Protection Coordination Act
- Short Titles as Enacted
- Whistleblower Protection Coordination Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Administrative remedies
- Congressional oversight
- Employment discrimination and employee rights
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government information and archives
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government studies and investigations
- Merit Systems Protection Board
- Office of Special Counsel
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- —Enrolled Bill
- Mar 15, 2018Engrossed in Senate
- Dec 14, 2017Reported to Senate
- Sep 27, 2017Introduced 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.
