The Nation : House OKs Bill to Aid Whistle-Blowers

The House passed by voice vote a bill to protect the jobs of government workers who blow the whistle on waste, fraud or abuse in their agencies, and sent it to President Bush for his expected signature. The bill is a revised version of one vetoed by former President Ronald Reagan. Under the bill, whistle-blowers fighting for their jobs would merely be required to show that whistle-blowing was a “contributing factor” in their firing or demotion. The Office of the Special Counsel, which investigates civil service abuses, would become an independent agency instead of an arm of the Merit Systems Protection Board. The bill would permit whistle-blowers to take their cases directly to the board if the special counsel did not act in 120 days. But the special counsel could not sue on behalf of federal employees, a change from the vetoed version.