New Senate Bill Extends Whistleblower Protections to Congressional Employees

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has introduced legislation that would give the same whistleblower protections to employees in the legislative branch as provided already to employees of the executive branch of government.

“This important legislation simply adds whistleblower protections to the legislative branch by incorporating the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 into the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, a law I authored to bring Congress in line with many labor laws and workplace protections.  I have long believed Congress should practice what it preaches, and this legislation will do just that,” Grassley said.

The proposed 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. It will give congressional employees the same protections that workers in the other branches of government already possess by adding the Whistleblower Protection Act to the preexisting list of statutes that are applied to the Legislative Branch by the Congressional Accountability Act.

The Congressional Accountability Act was signed into law in 1995, and guarantees the same rights for congressional employees as private sector employees and ensures 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.

The Congressional Accountability Act applied a number of important laws to Congress, including, the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination and Employment Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, the Rehabilitation Act, as well as some provisions of title 5 related to Federal service labor-management relations.  It also created the Office of Compliance in the legislative branch that oversees application of these important laws to the legislative branch and ensures that employee’s rights under these laws are protected.

“While the Congressional Accountability Act was a good start, the Office of Compliance has recommended additional laws be applied to the legislative branch, including the Whistleblower Protection Act,” Grassley added.

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