By Stephen Barr
Friday, June 6, 2008
A coalition of 112 organizations is urging House and Senate negotiators to move quickly to resolve differences over legislation that would strengthen the protections afforded federal employees who blow the whistle on waste, fraud and abuse.
The House approved a bill, 331 to 94, to broaden whistle-blower rights 15 months ago, and the Senate approved its version on a voice vote in December. But the bills contain different provisions, and advocates for whistle-blowers are concerned that election-year campaigns may cut short the time that Congress has to get a compromise version to the White House.
"We offer our support to expeditiously conclude the process of reconciling House and Senate passed versions of this vital good government legislation," the coalition said in a letter sent Wednesday to members of the House and Senate who will put together a final bill.
Some groups in the coalition have worked on expanded whistle-blower protections for eight years. They contend that the Merit Systems Protection Board and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit have wrongfully interpreted or taken a too narrow view of whistle-blower rights provided in a 1989 law.
There are 400 to 500 whistle-blower cases in the government every year, and advocacy groups argue that federal agencies often try to silence or discredit employees who speak out about waste and mismanagement.
The letter was organized by the Government Accountability Project, Public Citizen, the Project on Government Oversight and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Members of the coalition include religious, consumer, civil liberties, environmental and other groups.
Any compromise, the coalition said, should retain key proposals in the House and Senate bills, including providing federal whistle-blowers with the right to a jury trial in federal court and stronger safeguards for federal scientists who report efforts to misrepresent or suppress research.
Restocking the Food BanksMail carriers for the U.S. Postal Service have set a record. They collected 73.1 million pounds of food donations on May 10, surpassing the 71.3 million pounds of non-perishable food collected in 2005, the National Association of Letter Carriers announced.
The union bills the effort as the nation's largest, one-day effort to "stamp out hunger." The food is delivered to local food banks, pantries and shelters.
About 1,500 local branches of the union conducted food drives, and the West Coast Florida NALC Branch 1477, headquartered in St. Petersburg, took top honors, collecting 1.7 million pounds of donations.
NTEU Endorses ObamaThe National Treasury Employees Union will support Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for president, the union announced yesterday.
Colleen M. Kelley, the union's president, said Obama, who locked up the Democratic presidential nomination this week, has compiled a perfect voting record in the Senate on issues important to the union.
Asked why the union endorsement was being made now, Kelley said there was strong support among NTEU members for Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). "Our members wanted this time to work for and support the candidate of their choice. We are now ready to put all that energy and momentum that has been building behind one single candidate," she said.
ConfirmationsThe Senate has confirmed Paul A. Schneider as deputy secretary for the Department of Homeland Security. He has served as the department's acting deputy for the past seven months and previously served as the undersecretary for management.
In approving nominations Wednesday, the Senate also confirmed Nanci E. Langley to be a commissioner of the Postal Regulatory Commission. She has headed legislative and public affairs for the commission and is a former aide to Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii).
Talk ShowsGerald F. Seib, co-author of "Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power" and a Wall Street Journal editor and columnist, will be the guest on "Inside Government," sponsored by the American Federation of Government Employees, at 10 a.m. today on Federalnewsradio.com and WFED radio (1050 AM).
Robert Howard, assistant secretary for information and technology at the Veterans Affairs Department, will be the guest on the IBM "Business of Government Hour" at 9 a.m. Saturday on WJFK radio (106.7 FM).
Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.