Congress Passes Bill Protecting Whistle-Blowers; Veto Unlikely

The Senate, as part of a flurry of actions that stretched through Friday night and into Saturday morning, has voted to implement major new federal protections for government workers who expose fraud and abuse.

The compromise bill would shift the burden of proof in such cases from the “whistle-blower” to the government. It had passed the House on Tuesday and President Reagan is expected to sign it, despite grumbling within the Administration that it goes overboard.

Targets Court Rulings

The bill would reverse a number of court decisions and policies of the Merit Systems Protection Board, set up in 1978 to protect whistle-blowers but accused by critics of turning its powers against complaining workers. It would also make the board’s Office of Special Counsel an independent agency, rather than an arm of the board, to represent whistle-blowers.

The bill would also expand the definition of prohibited practices to include reprisals against employees who cooperate with inspectors general or the special counsel, testify to government bodies or who refuse to obey an order that violates the law.

The senators, nearing adjournment, are scheduled to return Tuesday to complete action on a tax bill that began as an effort to make “technical corrections” in the 1986 tax overhaul law but has become a vehicle for other matters.

Late Friday, one amendment added to the bill was a plan to buy disputed property near Manassas, Va., to preserve the land for the Manassas National Battlefield Park rather than a major shopping center. Interior Secretary Donald P. Hodel has said he would recommend a veto of the purchase, which passed the House in August, as too expensive. But proponents are gambling that, if the House goes along, Reagan would not veto a major tax bill just to kill the Manassas purchase.

Senate Vote Expected

The Senate is expected to vote on the overall tax bill by Tuesday night, allowing time for a conference committee to work out a compromise.

In other action, the Senate voted to set up a system to track infectious medical waste, such as the needles and other hospital trash that fouled Atlantic and Great Lakes beaches this summer. The bill must go back to the House for approval of amendments.