Senate passes House tweak to whistleblower protection bill

The Senate agreed to changes the House made to the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act on Tuesday night.

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) introduced S. 743. Last month the House passed the legislation, which increases protections for federal workers who point out waste, fraud and abuse in the government, but stripped out Senate language offering "whistleblower" protections for intelligence officials.

The whistleblower bill is aimed at clarifying the intent of Congress to maintain strong protections for federal officials, and is in part a response to close "loopholes" that have developed as the law has been interpreted by the courts.

The bill makes it easier for federal workers to identify waste and abuse in the government without fear of reprisals. Among other things, the bill would create whistleblower ombudsmen in Inspector General offices.

Now that the bill has passed both chambers and the amendment has been agreed to, the bill head to the president’s desk for his signature.

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