WASHINGTON – In an effort to keep Congress living by the same rules as everybody else, Senator Chuck Grassley has introduced legislation that would give the same whistleblower protections to employees in the legislative branch as to those afforded in the executive branch of government.
“Whistleblowers are all too often treated like skunks at a picnic. It takes courage to stand alone and point out wrong doings and it’s unacceptable that people would be retaliated against for doing the right thing,” Grassley said. “It’s time Congress live by the same rules that we’ve required the other branches of government to live by.”
Grassley’s legislation would help protect legislative branch employees from retaliation because those individuals disclosed information that they reasonably believed is evidence of a violation of any law, rule, or regulation.
“Bureaucracies have an instinct to cover up their misdeeds. And, it’s whistleblowers who often serve as the check against this temptation. Whistleblowers in the executive branch have helped me do my job of oversight. We’ve done a good job to make sure that whistleblowers in the executive branch are protected. It’s simply not fair, nor is it good governance for Congress to enact whistleblower protections on the other branches of government without giving its own employees the same consideration,” Grassley said.
Grassley has a long history of working with whistleblowers. He has demanded investigations of the unjust treatment of many whistleblowers throughout his tenure in Congress. He has championed whistleblowers at the FBI, FDA, IRS and many other federal agencies.
Grassley said that this bill is a natural outreach of legislation he authored and got approved in 1995, the Congressional Accountability Act. This law guaranteed the same rights for congressional employees as private sector employees and ensured that members of Congress feel the impact of laws applied to private sector employers and small business owners across the country. The law brought Congress under major laws which address wage and hour questions, occupational safety and health issues.
A copy of the legislation can be found here .
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