Bills Would Expand Whistle-Blower Protections
Ever since President Theodore Roosevelt issued a gag order on federal employees in 1902, the White House and Congress have been jousting over the rights and protections that should be afforded government whistle-blowers.
While there is consensus that federal employees should be able to inform Congress of waste, fraud and mismanagement in their agencies without fear of reprisal, whistle-blower advocates argue that safeguards to protect employees have not worked as they should in many cases.
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Syndicate/SubscribeIn recent days, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Reps. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) have announced legislation that would expand whistle-blower protections to national security employees and federal contractors, allow whistle-blowers to go directly to court instead of having to bring their complaints to federal agencies that hear such cases, and make some cases of whistle-blower retaliation a criminal offense.
The two Democratic bills follow a bipartisan effort to clarify whistle-blower protections that began last year. Bills sponsored by Sens. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) and Susan M. Collins (R-Maine) and by Rep. Todd R. Platts (R-Pa.) made it through committees, but Republican leaders did not schedule floor votes because of Justice Department objections.
The Lautenberg and Markey-Maloney bills would build on changes proposed in last year's legislation. A key proposal would allow government workers to seek jury trials, one of the rights provided to corporate whistle-blowers in the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley law.
"Congress has given employees of Enron or WorldCom who reported accounting fraud better whistle-blower protections than we give FBI employees, TSA baggage screeners or port employees who report serious risks to homeland and national security," Markey said.
On the Move
Deidre A. Lee , one of the government's top procurement experts, is joining the Federal Emergency Management Agency as acting deputy director of operations, FEMA announced yesterday.
Lee comes to FEMA from the General Services Administration, which she joined in August as the assistant commissioner of integrated technology services. She has previously held senior procurement policy positions at the Defense Department, Office of Management and Budget, and NASA.
David Paulison , FEMA's acting director, said Lee "arrives at an important time for FEMA, as we are working to bolster procurement efforts in support of continued rebuilding in the Gulf Coast and future disaster-response operations."
FEMA has been faulted for inadequate planning and supervision of contracts in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and some congressional reports indicate that several million dollars have been wasted because of poor contracting practices.
Stan Z. Soloway , who worked with Lee at the Pentagon, called her "a great add for FEMA" because of her experience and knowledge about how federal agencies operate "in emergencies and tough environments." Soloway is president of the Professional Services Council, a trade association.
Lee starts her new job next month. An aide to Lee said her schedule did not permit time for an interview yesterday.
Talk Shows
Two experts on the 2002 Notification and Federal Employee Anti-discrimination and Retaliation (No FEAR) Act -- Gary D. Wahlert of the Office of Personnel Management and Gary Hozempa of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission -- will be the guests on "FEDtalk" at 11 a.m. today on http:/
W. Todd Grams , chief information officer at the Internal Revenue Service, will be the guest on "The IBM Business of Government Hour" at 9 a.m. Saturday on WJFK (106.7 FM).
Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.
