Legislation
Besides being a organization that defends whistleblowers, GAP testifies before both branches of Congress and meets or communicates with legislators on an daily basis. GAP has been instrumental in helping to pass numerous whistleblower protection reforms since our inception. The mission of GAP legislative staff is to ensure enactment of the protection of free speech rights for federal workers through passage of whistleblower protection act amendments. The staff proactively seeks out legislative opportunities to expand free speech rights for all public and private sector workers to disclose waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement without fear of reprisal. GAP has concerns with the following areas involving litigation: Sarbanes-Oxley Link Act of 2002: Read about this monumental law that extended whistleblower rights to workers of publicly traded companies. Whistleblower Protection Act of 1994: Find out the numerous problems and inconsistencies associated with the implementation of this law.
Program Highlight: Federal Whistleblower Rights Finishes as Highest-Rated Recommendation for Obama’s Open Government InitiativeHandily Beats Over 300 Other Recommendations from Public July 14, 2009 -- Last week, the Obama administration ended the period for public comment on its “Open Government Initiative,” which sought independent ideas from the public about methods the administration could employ to increase overall government transparency, public participation, and public collaboration. At the end of this unique program, a recommendation suggesting the institution of strong whistleblower protections for federal employees blew away the competition, receiving twice as many endorsements as any other idea put forth by the public during the program – a total amount of 304 different ideas, divided among 16 categories. Click here to read the press release.
Program Highlight: GAP to Testify Friday in Support of DC Whistleblower Law Reform June 25, 2009 -- At a Washington, D.C. City Council hearing tomorrow, Friday, June 26, whistleblowers and public interest leaders will rally behind a proposal by Councilmember Mary Cheh to modernize the District’s whistleblower law for government employees and contractors. Click here to read the press release.
Program Highlight: GAP Submits Comments on Obama's Scientific Integrity Policy May 22, 2009 -- GAP has submitted and is posting comments on the President’s scientific integrity policy. On March 9, the White House announced the draft policy and specified that it should include agency by agency whistleblower policies, for which it requested guidance. GAP’s comments analyze seven core recommendations to --
- Comply with the current Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) and Anti-Gag Statute by eliminating loopholes in its policies that require prior approval to communicate unclassified information that falls into new hybrid secrecy categories such as “Unclassified But Sensitive”
- Adopt internal whistleblower policies that implement dormant, decade-old recommendations of the Commission on Research Integrity
- Voluntarily adopt additional free speech protections in pending legislation to strengthen the WPA
- Exercise visible leadership by agency chiefs to end the environment of fear
- Eliminate prior restraint for media communications
- Eliminate authority to make changes in the text of published material without the author’s knowledge and approval, and
- Train managers to accept scientific freedom and openness as the operating premise for the workplace environments they supervise.
GAP’s comments are just the beginning. If you want to help with the follow-up campaign for scientific freedom, or are a scientist who needs help, please contact our legal director Tom Devine, at tomd@whistleblower.org.
Program Highlight: Decision Gives Agencies Power to Issue Regulations Overriding WPA Free Speech Rights June 24, 2009 -- Yesterday, Tuesday June 23rd, the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) issued a landmark ruling against whistleblowers in MacLean v. Department of Homeland Security. The decision effectively removes any remaining enforcement authority for the already-discredited Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA). The MSPB’s decision gives government agencies the power to issue regulations overriding the free speech rights contained within WPA. Click here to read the press release. Click here to read the filed amicus brief. Click here to read the MSPB June 22, 2009 decision on SSI WPA.
Program Highlight: Whistleblowers: Show Your Support at Thursday’s Showdown in Congress!
May 12, 2009 -- There is a major event regarding federal employee whistleblower rights that we need all supporters in the D.C.-metro region to attend!
Hearing: “Protecting the Public from Waste, Fraud and Abuse: H.R. 1507, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009.”
When: Thursday, May 14 at 10:00 a.m.
Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2154
What: Chairman Edolphus Towns and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will hold a full committee hearing to examine the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009 (H.R. 1507) which will modernize, clarify and expand current whistleblower protections for Federal Employees and contractors.
How YOU Can Help: This is a pivotal event in our long crusade to secure whistleblower rights for federal employees. All members of the whistleblower community are encouraged to attend Thursday’s hearing. GAP Legal Director Tom Devine, will provide subject expert testimony. Others invited to testify include whistleblowers from the CIA, U.S. Park Police, and the Pentagon. Witnesses representing the Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence are also expected.
Help us make a difference!
Program Highlight: Groups Seek Whistleblower Rights Clarification from Obama April 1, 2009 -- President Obama should fulfill his campaign and transition policy commitments to strengthen whistleblower rights to effectively fight waste, fraud and abuse in unprecedented government spending, the Make It Safe Coalition said in a letter it sent the president today. Click here to read the full press release Click here to read the letter
Program Highlight: GAP Praises House Whistleblower Protection Bill March 12, 2009 -- GAP praised House sponsors who introduced legislation today to overhaul the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) for “persistence and leadership to lock in accountability before stimulus spending gears up.” Click here to read the press release
Program Highlight: Van Hollen to Announce Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009 March 11, 2009 -- Tomorrow, Thursday March 12, Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Assistant to the Speaker, will join Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Ed Towns (D-NY), Congressman Todd Platts (R-PA), and Congressman Bruce Braley (D-IA) to discuss the introduction of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009. Click here to read the press advisory
Program Highlight: Whistleblower Fights Back Against Retaliatory Jailing March 5, 2009 -- GAP today filed a legal whistleblowing disclosure with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel on behalf of Martin Salazar, a 20-year Department of Energy (DOE) employee prosecuted and jailed after ignoring threats to stop the blowing the whistle on agency misconduct. The disclosure seeks an independent investigation of DOE’s own role in the misconduct it prosecuted him for after he refused to be silenced. Click here to read the press release Click here to read the letter from GAP to OSC regarding Salazar sent earlier today
Program Highlight: 11 FAA Whistleblowers Demand Safety Reform, Protections in Letter to Obama February 26, 2009 -- Today, GAP is releasing a letter from 11 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) whistleblowers to President Barack Obama and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The letter offers support and suggestions for reforming the FAA at a time when the agency “is desperately in need of attention and repair.” The employees and former employees of the FAA signing the letter are part of a newly-formed organization called the FAA Whistleblower Alliance. Click here to read a copy of the letter Click here to read the fact sheet on the whistleblowers
Program Highlight: Stimulus Agreement Gives Whistleblower Rights to Contractor Employees February 13, 2009 -- GAP today praised congressional negotiators for passing 2009’s first major whistleblower rights law as part of the $790 billion stimulus spending bill. The final stimulus package includes “best practices” anti-retaliation rights for any workers at recipients of the new federal spending. This includes contractors, grantees, and state and local government employees who work in programs that receive stimulus funding. However, GAP expressed deep frustration at the conferees’ failure to extend whistleblower rights to federal government workers. Click here to read the full press release
Program Highlight: TARP IG Commits to Protecting Whistleblowers in Letter to GAP February 4, 2009 -- In response to a letter from GAP and 9 other public interest organizations, the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) sent a letter to GAP demonstrating his commitment to protect whistleblowers who disclose evidence of waste, fraud and abuse of bailout funds. In the letter, Special IG Neil Barofsky states: "One of the principal means by which [the SIGTARP IG's] mission will be achieved is through gathering evidence of fraud, waste, abuse and misconduct involving TARP funds. Whistleblowers represent a vital source of such information. SIGTARP is committed -- even beyond obligations under the relevant provisions of law -- to build a robust whistleblower system that will both encourage individuals to come forward and protect those individuals once they have done so." GAP is very encouraged with Mr. Barofsky's response. Short of Congress passing a comprehensive whistleblower law for the financial industry, Mr. Barofsky's commitment to protect whistleblowers is the best way of ensuring that TARP funds are monitored and used according to the law. To see the full letter from IG Barofsky, click here To read the coalition of public interest groups' initial letter, click here
Program Highlight: Post Editorial Misses Mark on Whistleblowers February 3, 2009 -- Monday’s Washington Post editorial, “Wrong Way to Protect,” did a disservice to its readers and the taxpayers when it opposed provisions in the economic stimulus bill that are designed to empower federal whistleblowers. A coalition of public interest groups has illustrated how the Post did so in a joint statement. Click here to read the statement Click the read the corresponding fact sheet
Program Highlight: GAP Sends Letter to TARP IG January 23, 2009 -- GAP, joined by several other leading public interest organizations, today wrote to the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), also known as the “bailout,” to offer recommendations for immediate actions the office can take to enhance accountability and transparency efforts by protecting whistleblowers who share evidence of misconduct. Additionally, as Congress considers policy prescriptions to prevent a recurrence of the economic nightmare, the groups recommend that “best practices” whistleblower protections be enacted for employees in the financial industry and in government. Click here to read the letter
Program Highlight: Tell the Obama Administration to Enact Stronger Whistleblower Legislation January 15, 2009 -- Change.gov has created a new feature, known as the Citizen’s Briefing Book, which allows individuals to bring their ideas directly to the President. We are calling on the free speech community to support the idea to Enact Legislation that Protects Whistleblowers. Simply log-in and click on “vote up” to support this idea. Each vote is worth 10 points, and thanks to thousands of citizen’s voices, whistleblower protection is steadily gaining momentum as one of the public’s top priorities for the new administration. Click here to vote!
Program Highlight: Transition Memo to ObamaNovember 24, 2008 -- GAP has submitted a transition memo to the Obama-Biden transition team detailing solutions for inadequate federal whistleblower protections. In this memo, GAP details why President-elect Obama should ask Congress to prioritize passing the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act. With all the competing priorities for the new Congress, it will take intervention from the new administration to ensure immediate passage. Supporting government accountability by providing genuine protections to employees who expose waste, fraud and abuse will mark a drastic change from the current administration. Luckily, unlike so many other issues, the work is largely done. The bill is waiting for the President’s support and signature. Click here for the transition memo
Program Highlight: GAP Responds to Justice Department's Latest Attack on Whistleblower Bill November 17, 2008 -- To read the Bush administration’s misguided concerns about protecting whistleblowers, outlined in a letter from Attorney General Mukasey to Speaker Pelosi, click here. To read GAP’s detailed response, click here.
Program Highlights: Last Minute Push for Whistleblower Rights September 26, 2009 -- As congressional negotiations over bailout legislation continue, an extraordinary movement of organizations from across the ideological spectrum, representing millions of Americans, is demanding that Congress in its waning days pass legislation to strengthen whistleblower protections for government and corporate employees. Click here to see the breadth of organizations supporting whistleblower rights
Program Highlight: Dramatic Surge in Support for Whistleblower Rights September 9, 2009 -- GAP has announced that seventy new organizations from across the United States have joined a June petition calling on Congress to enact sweeping new whistleblower rights for government employees. The groups are calling on Congress to finish the job before adjourning for the upcoming elections. Both chambers have approved legislation to revive the discredited Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA), but efforts to reconcile the different versions have stalled. Click here to read the full press release
Program Highlight: Bush Signs Consumer Protection Bill; Expanding Whistleblower Rights
August 14, 2008 -- Earlier today, President Bush signed the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act, enacting law that protects American consumers by, among other ways, providing whistleblower rights to nearly 20 million workers. The legislation provides protections, enforceable by jury trials, to workers connected with the manufacture, distribution, and retail sale of products ranging from toys to clothes, linens, car seats, hardware and household appliances.
The legislation responds to last fall’s “killer toys” controversy sparked by discoveries of excessive lead in dolls and other common products. The reform significantly tightens safety standards. Its enforcement cornerstone is thorough “best practices” whistleblower protection for employees who refuse to violate the law or who challenge product safety violations.
Since last October, GAP has led a coalition that swelled to 102 organizations demanding whistleblower rights in this reform.
Program Highlight: Congress Guarantees Widespread Whistleblower Rights in CPSC Reform July 31, 2008 -- GAP applauds Senate and House leaders for reaching conference committee agreement on major consumer product safety legislation just approved by the House this evening, in a 424-1 vote. The legislation provides whistleblower rights, enforceable by jury trials, to an estimated twenty million private sector workers connected with the manufacture, distribution, and retail sale of products ranging from toys to clothes, linens, car seats, hardware and household appliances. Click here to read GAP's press release
Program Highlight: 112 Organizations Endorse Quick Action to Restore Comprehensive Federal Worker Whistleblower Rights June 5, 2008 -- A coalition of 112 religious, scientific, consumer, civil liberties, civil rights, peace, small-business, labor, libertarian, journalism, environmental, and good-government organizations, representing millions of Americans, is urging key U.S. Senate and House negotiators to agree to the strongest possible federal employee whistleblower protections and to deliver a bill this year to President Bush. Click here to read GAP's press release.
Program Highlight: Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Terrorist Detainee Policy June 4, 2008 -- Today at 10 a.m., the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing entitled Improving Detainee Policy: Handling Terrorism Detainees within the American Justice System. GAP’s new Homeland Security Director, Jesselyn Radack, has been asked to submit written testimony to the committee. Click here to read Radack’s testimony Click here to view the hearing at 10 a.m.
Program Highlight: Telecom Whistleblower and GAP Praise House Vote Denying Immunity March 14 2008 -- Telecommunications whistleblower Babak Pasdar praised today’s House of Representatives 214-195 vote denying corporate immunity in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reauthorization. Pasdar, a computer expert, is a client of the Government Accountability Project (GAP). In 2003, he discovered a mysterious “Quantico Circuit” from a major telecommunications firm that provided unfettered access to all customer communications connected directly or indirectly to mobile phones. Click here to read the press release
Program Highlight: GAP and Other Groups Urge Telecom Immunity Rejection Pending Review of GAP Client’s Affidavit March 12, 2008 -- Today, 34 good government watchdog groups sent a letter to all members of Congress urging them not to allow retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies in the warrant-less wiretapping/national security bill, headed for debate tomorrow, pending review of allegations in an affidavit by Government Accountability Project (GAP) client Babak Pasdar, which were detailed in a recent “Dear Colleagues” letter. In their letter, the groups summarize the concerns laid out in Pasdar’s affidavit: An unnamed major wireless telecommunications carrier may have given the government unmonitored access to data communications from that company’s mobile devices, including e-mail, text messages, and Internet use… [T]he line was configured so that the carrier could have no record of what information had been transmitted. Of equal concern was his allegation that there was no security to protect this line -- an unheard of vulnerability in a carrier environment.Click here to read the full press release Click here to read the letter sent to Congress Click here to read Pasdar's affidavitClick here to read GAP's talking points about the affidavit Click here to read the "Dear Colleagues" letter
Program Highlight: GAP Hails Whistleblower Rights in CPSC Bill March 7, 2008 -- The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is praising yesterday’s Senate vote including “best practices” whistleblower protection rights for millions of corporate employees in legislation to strengthen the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The legislation now must be reconciled with a House version that does not include any rights for whistleblowers or other witnesses challenging violations. Click here to read the press release
Program Highlight: Senate Republican Caucus Backs Industry Stance on Product SafetyFebruary 28, 2008 -- GAP and Public Citizen today disclosed Senate Republican Caucus “talking points” attacking S. 2663, bipartisan legislation to strengthen and reform the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Objections to whistleblower protections were the first item in the Republican Caucus broadside. The talking points were compiled by the office of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and constitute a wholesale attack on the legislation that protects America’s families from unsafe products. Click here to read GAP's full press release Click here to read the SRC talking points
Program Highlight: GAP Joins Groups in Supporting CSPC Legislation February 27, 2008 -- GAP has signed onto a letter with 45 other good government and consumer protection organizations in support of S. 2663, legislation to strengthen the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the bill's whistleblower provisions. Click here to read the letter
Program Highlight: Navy Vindicates Aviation Safety Whistleblower February 2, 2008 -- GAP applauds the Department of Navy for issuing a commendation to military aviation whistleblower Richard Conrad at an award ceremony held last Friday, February 1. Conrad was presented with a commendation for playing “a major part in effecting…improvements” to the repair and overhaul process of certain flight critical components on the Navy’s aging fleet of F/A-18 aircraft. Click here to read GAP's full release
Program Highlight: Senate Approves Whistleblower Protection Legislation December 17, 2007 -- The Senate approved (by unanimous consent) S. 274, legislation to restore and strengthen the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) for federal government workers. The Senate action follows House approval of similar legislation, setting the stage for the two chambers to reconcile their legislation and present a composite bill for final approval. President Bush already has promised to veto stronger whistleblower rights, but an overwhelming veto-proof majority in the House and unanimous consent approval in the Senate indicate that Congress would likely be able to over-ride a presidential veto. Click here for the press release
Program Highlight: Congress Set to Pass Defense Contractor Whistleblower Protections December 10, 2007 -- GAP applauds negotiators from the Senate and House Armed Services Committees for approving strengthened whistleblower protections for employees of Department of Defense contractors and grantees. The whistleblower protections were included in the final conference report to the FY2008 Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1585). The conference on the defense bill, chaired by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) and Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO), announced its results late last week. The legislation and accompanying report are expected to receive final approval and be submitted to the President later this month. Click here to read GAP's press release
Program Highlight: 35 Groups Urge Congress to Include Whistleblower Protections for Defense Contractors GAP and a coalition of good government, open government, and whistleblower rights organizations have sent a letter to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO), urging support for a bipartisan amendment to strengthen whistleblower protections for employees of Department of Defense contractors. The amendment, sponsored by Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Susan Collins (R-ME), was approved unanimously by the Senate in its version of the annual defense authorization legislation. The bill is pending in a conference committee with the House, and likely will be finalized when Congress returns from a Thanksgiving recess next week. Click here to read the letter
Program Highlight: GAP Supports Competition in Earmarks November 5, 2007 -- GAP has signed on to a letter of support for Section 828 of the Senate Defense Authorization bill, which introduces common-sense transparency and competition in the awarding of grants and contracts. Specifically, this provision would ensure that earmarks to federal competitive bidding laws and regulations are competitive. Click here to read the letter
Program Highlight: Bill Would Streamline Whistleblower Protections November 2, 2007 -- GAP applauds Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, and a group of 13 co-sponsors, for introducing the “Private Sector Whistleblower Protection Streamlining Act of 2007” yesterday, November 1. The legislation, H.R. 4047, would for the first time establish a uniform, coherent system of legal protections for all private sector, state and municipal employees who are retaliated against for disclosing threats to public safety or violations of federal law. Click here to read the press release
Program Highlight: Groups Support Consumer Product Safety Whistleblower Protections in Committee Vote Tomorrow October 29, 2007 -- Today, GAP and a coalition of forty-two good government and consumer protection groups sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation expressing support for the provisions in S. 2045, consumer product safety reform legislation, and specifically, the legislation’s whistleblower rights provision. The groups further expressed support for a perfecting amendment to be offered tomorrow by Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO), which would incorporate a “best practices” whistleblower protection model from legislation adopted by Congress earlier this year. Click here for the press release Click here for the letter
Program Highlight: GAP and Partners Urge Congress to Deny Funds to Discredited Special Counsel October 11, 2007 -- In a letter sent earlier this week, GAP, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) urged key congressional offices to deny requests for additional funds from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), pending the results of an investigation into alleged misconduct by OSC head Scott Bloch. Click here to read the letter
Program Highlight: Senators Recommend Instituting Committee to Investigate Wartime Contracting September 24, 2007 -- Last week, Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) re-filed an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill to establish an independent, bipartisan Commission on Wartime Contracting which would investigate government waste and fraud. GAP and several of its coalition partners support this amendment. Click here to read GAP’s letter of support for the amendment. GAP supporters are encouraged to contact the Senate Leadership and request that the “Webb-McCaskill amendment be given an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.” The number for Majority Leader Harry Reid is 202.224.5556. Thank you.
Program Highlight: Senate Approves Whistleblower Protections for Defense ContractorsSeptember 19, 2007 -- The U.S. Senate approved a whistleblower protection amendment for employees of Department of Defense (DoD) contractors this past Monday. The McCaskill-Collins amendment covers employees working on any taxpayer-financed DoD projects, recognizing that the potential for abuse in wartime spending is not limited to traditional DoD contracts. Click here for GAP’s full press release The approval comes just days before the Democratic Policy Committee is to hold a hearing on “The Mistreatment of Iraq Contracting Whistleblowers.” The hearing, scheduled for this coming Friday, will feature witnesses who have been fired, demoted, threatened, intimidated and even detained for speaking the truth about Iraq contracting practices. Click here for information on the hearing
Program Highlight: Senate Foreign Ops Bill Passes with Accountability Measures for UNDP; World Bank
September 7, 2007 -- The Senate Foreign Operations bill (HR 2764) passed yesterday by an 81 to 12 vote, with amendments attached by Senators Norman Coleman (R-Minnesota) and Judd Gregg (R-New Hampshire). The Coleman amendment requires the Secretary of State to certify that the United Nations Development Program is “implementing the whistleblower protection policy” prior to an initial obligation of funds appropriated for UNDP next year. GAP provided assistance to the UN Under-Secretary for Management in the drafting of the policy in 2005 and supports the extension of whistleblower coverage to UNDP employees in general and in a number of urgent cases of retaliation now pending.
The bill also included a “transparency and accountability” measure to be applied to the World Bank and sponsored by Gregg. The measure ties disbursement of 20 percent of funds for the International Development Association to the release of the World Bank’s Department of Institutional Integrity’s November 23, 2005, “Report of Investigation into Reproductive and Child Health I Project Credit N0180 India.”
Program Highlight: Congress Passes Landmark Land Transportation Security Whistleblower Protections July 30, 2007 -- GAP applauds the U.S. Congress for passing landmark whistleblower protections for transportation security and safety employees as part of its 9/11 legislation. This legislation will protect transportation system workers if they speak out to report security concerns that threaten the safety of passengers. The legislation also allows rail, public transit, and bus operators to responsibly address mechanical or other safety problems before they operate any vehicle without fear of reprisal. Click here to read GAP's press release.
Program Highlight: OSC's Questionable Job Announcement July 18, 2007 -- GAP and Public Employees for Environmental Protection (PEER) released a statement today concerning a recent, questionable job announcement posted by the Office of Special Counsel (OSC). Special Counsel Scott Bloch, who is responsible to enforce laws prohibiting political misuse of the merit system, appears to be continuing with his pattern of relying on non-competitive hiring to fill career civil service jobs with favored candidates. Click here for the statement Bloch is already under investigation for similar allegations that he violated the merit system, whistleblower, and free speech laws he is charged with enforcing in the rest of the government. The investigation is being conducted by the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE). There is evidence that Special Counsel Bloch’s immediate subordinates attempted to intimidate potential OSC witnesses and obstruct the PCIE investigation. Bloch has denied these allegations, repeatedly noting that any OSC intervention with the investigation has been delegated to “career staff,” and specifically to the Deputy Special Counsel. This defense is misleading. PEER’s research demonstrates that every Deputy Special Counsel that has performed the role of intermediary between OSC and the PCIE investigation was hand-selected by Special Counsel Bloch, and therefore should not have been in that position.
Program Highlight: GAP Testifying at House Hearing July 12, 2007 -- GAP Legislative Representative Adam Miles is currently testifying in a House hearing by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia. The hearing is entitled “Ensuring a Merit-Based Employment System: An Examination of the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Office of Special Counsel” Click here to go to the Subcommittee’s Web page!
Program Highlight: House to Hold Oversight Hearing on OSC Tomorrow July 11, 2007 -- GAP Legislative Representative Adam Miles will testify at an oversight hearing on the U.S. Office of Special Counsel on Thursday, July 12. Chairman Danny Davis (D-IL) wrote to GAP that “the purpose of the hearing is to examine how the Office of Special Counsel and the Merit Systems Protection Board are meeting their statutory mission and safeguarding the federal government’s merit-based system of employment.” Click here to read GAP's press release.
Requesting Your OSC Stories! June 28, 2007 -- GAP has been invited to testify at a July 12 hearing on the performance of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC). We are reaching out to all federal employees who sought out OSC for assistance to respond to a brief questionnaire about their experience with the agency. GAP needs your responses by July 6, 2007. Click here to read a more thorough explanation and to read the survey!
Program Highlight: Senate Panel Approves Whistleblower Protections for Defense Contractors
May 25, 2007 -- GAP applauds the Senate Armed Services Committee for approving an amendment offered by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) to enhance whistleblower protections for employees of Department of Defense (DoD) contractors. The Committee approved the whistleblower protections by voice vote as an amendment to the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, S. 567, which authorizes a half-trillion dollars for Defense Department programs.
Program Highlight: Washington Whistleblower Week Starts Monday! May 10, 2007 -- On Monday, GAP, 45 national public interest groups, and hundreds of whistleblowers from across the country will kick off Washington Whistleblower Week, running from May 14-18. The week’s events are designed to highlight contributions whistleblowers have made in society and to promote protections for whistleblowers who risk their careers to challenge abuses of the public trust. Supporting organizations view Washington Whistleblower Week as an opportunity to build on the momentum created by a March vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, when it passed H.R. 985, the “Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007.” To launch the week’s activities on Monday, GAP and other groups are hosting, sponsoring and/or participating in a series of panels in the Russell Senate office building, Room 325. Several prominent whistleblowers will be in attendance.
Program Highlight: Tunnel Crew on Network News April 8, 2007 -- Tomorrow night (Monday), NBC Nightly News is slated to run a story about the ten Capitol Tunnel Workers. The workers are employees of the Architect of the Capitol (AoC), and maintain five miles of tunnels that provide plumbing to federal buildings including the Capitol and Supreme Court. GAP and the law firm of Katz, Marshall & Banks are representing the workers. Many of the workers have suffered terrible health effect from the tunnels, as high levels of asbestos were present for decades. The tunnel crew’s story involves retaliation (from the AoC) for going to the media and Congress with their story of being forced to work in unsafe conditions. You can read more about the crew’s story by clicking here (lead story). Be sure to watch tomorrow night (Monday)!
Program Highlight: GAP Signs onto Petition March 8, 2007 -- GAP has signed onto a petition sent by the Liberty Coalition to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform urging prompt hearings on the case of FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds. Click here to read the press release!
Program Highlight: Congressional Tunnel Worker Testifying in Senate March 1, 2007 -- U.S. Capitol Tunnel Shop supervisor and GAP client John Thayer will testify today at a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety. The hearing, Asbestos: Still Lethal/Still Legal - The Need to Better Protect the Health of American Workers and Their Families, is scheduled to begin today at 10 a.m. Thayer's ten-person tunnel crew maintains the plumbing and electrical infrastructure in the underground utility tunnels that supply steam and cooling water to the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court and multiple other federal buildings on Capitol Hill. Thayer's appearance before the subcommittee marks the first time a member of the tunnel crew has been invited to testify before Congress. He will testify in support of a bill that Senator Patty Murray (D-Wa.) will introduce today to prohibit the use of asbestos in the United States. Click here to visit the Employment and Workplace Safety Subcommittee Web site!Click here to read the full press release!
Program Highlight: GAP Involved in House Hearing February 13, 2007 -- The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is holding a hearing aimed at advancing the most significant whistleblower rights legislation in U.S. history. The “Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007” will be detailed in today's 10 a.m. hearing. GAP Legal Director Tom Devine will testify in support of the whistleblower legislation. Click here to watch the hearing! Click here for the press release!
Program Highlight: Tunnel Workers File NIOSH Request February 1, 2007 -- Ten congressional tunnel workers who service the utility tunnels beneath the U.S. Capitol complex filed a request yesterday morning for a Health Hazard Evaluation with the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH). These are the same workers that late last year filed a whistleblower complaint against their employer, the Architect of the Capitol, for retaliation after they divulged their situation to Congress and the media. Click here to read the NIOSH request!
Program Highlight: Senate Committee Reintroduces Whistleblower Protection Legislation January 12, 2007 -- Today, members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee acted to plug a government accountability loophole created last May when the Supreme Court’s Garcetti v. Ceballos decision canceled constitutional free speech rights for government workers carrying out their job duties. The committee introduced the “Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act,” S.274, which includes this reform amidst a general overhaul of the Whistleblower Protection Act. Click here to read the press release!
8/17/06 - U.S. Office of Special Counsel Finds "Substantial Likelihood" that Federal Air Marshal Service "Weakens" Own Mission GAP commends the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) for their recent decision regarding the case of GAP Client Federal Air Marshall Frank Terreri. The OSC has ordered an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security into the disclosure of Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) practices that jeopardize the safety of air marshals and passengers. Click here to read GAP’s press release! Click here to read the OSC letter to GAP Client Frank Terreri!
Program Highlight: Key House Offices Support Whistleblower AmendmentAugust 9, 2006 -- GAP has released a bipartisan letter from leaders on one House Committee to another, supporting the overhaul and strengthening of federal whistleblower laws. Last June, the Senate added an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would restore federal whistleblower rights. This amendment is currently being worked out by a Senate-House conference committee. House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA) and the committee’s ranking Democrat Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent the letter to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and Ranking Member Ike Skelton (D-MO), encouraging the House to support the whistleblower amendment. Click here to read the letter! Click here to read GAP's press release!
Program Highlight: Gary Aguirre To Testify Before Senate Judiciary Committee TomorrowJune 27, 2006 -- Gary Aguirre, a client of GAP Attorney Joanne Royce, will testify tomorrow, Wednesday, June 28, before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. The hearing is entitled “Hedge Funds and Analysts: How Independent is their Relationship?” It is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. in room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Program Highlight: Senate Approves Whistleblower Rights BreakthroughJune 23, 2006 -- The Senate yesterday acted quickly to plug a government accountability loophole created less than one month ago, when the Supreme Court’s Garcetti v. Ceballos decision canceled constitutional free speech rights for government workers carrying out their job duties. Senate bill S. 494, which includes that reform amidst a general overhaul of the Whistleblower Protection Act, was agreed to by unanimous consent as an amendment to the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act, passed 96-0 last evening. For the last three Congresses, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) approved similar legislation, but until yesterday Senate leaders had refused to permit a floor vote. Click here to read GAP's press release!
Program Highlight: GAP Anal
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