Senate Unanimously Passes Grassley, Peters Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Whistleblower Protections for Federal Contractors

Senate Unanimously Passes Grassley, Peters Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Whistleblower Protections for Federal Contractors

WASHINGTON - The Senate unanimously passed legislation by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) to expand whistleblower protections for government contractors and grantees. The Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act works to close existing loopholes in whistleblower protection laws that leave federal contractor employees vulnerable to acts of reprisal for reporting instances of waste, fraud and abuse within federal agencies. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

"Whistleblowers working for federal contractors and subcontractors shouldn't face retaliation for sounding the alarm on waste, fraud and abuse. These patriots are critical in safeguarding Americans' tax dollars. As a long-time advocate for whistleblowers, I'm glad to see the Senate pass this legislation to strengthen protections for whistleblowers and close the loopholes that have allowed retaliation," Grassley said.

"Whistleblowers play a critical role in helping to safeguard our democratic institutions by ensuring federal officials are held accountable to wrongdoing. I am proud the Senate has passed this bipartisan legislation that ensures whistleblowers will have the necessary protections so that they can bring attention to any instance of government misconduct or waste without fear of retaliation," Peters said.

Background:

A lack of clarity in whistleblower protection laws has raised questions about whether whistleblowers who work for federal contractors are effectively safeguarded from acts of reprisal from federal officials. In some instances, these loopholes have allowed federal officials to retaliate against whistleblowers with no accountability.

The Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act will close existing loopholes to expand protections for federal contractors and grantees who blow the whistle on waste, fraud and abuse. The legislation would also clarify that whistleblower protections cannot be waived by nondisclosure agreements or other conditions of employment and ensure these employees are not retaliated against for refusing to perform an action that is unlawful. Lastly, the bill clarifies that executive branch officials do not have the authority to request contractors retaliate against whistleblowers, and it allows agencies to take disciplinary action against officials who do so.

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