The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 is on its way to the President's desk to be signed into law. This legislation updates a 1989 law to protect federal employees who speak out about wrongdoing in government agencies.
Here is the text of Grassley's comments:
This week the Senate gave final approval to the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012. It's on its way to the President's desk to be signed into law.
This bill strengthens the Whistleblower Protection Act to better protect federal employees who come forward to disclose government waste, fraud, abuse, and other wrongdoing. I coauthored this bipartisan enhancement bill this year, and I coauthored the 1989 Whistleblower Protection Act that it updates.
The update is an important step forward. Additional improvements are still needed to make sure intelligence community whistleblowers get the protection they deserve for uncovering fraud deep within the bureaucracy.
The public interest is served by whistleblowers inside the federal government who have the courage to stand up and speak out about wrongdoing, mismanagement, and waste. One of the first whistleblowers I ever worked with from the federal government, and he was an employee of the Defense Department, said whistleblowers were guilty of "committing truth."
We need that truth in Washington. We need the accountability that whistleblowers help to bring. I will continue to advocate for whistleblowers in and outside of government, wherever tax dollars and the public good is at stake.
