1.Application of whistleblower
protection rules to legislative branch employees
(a)Part A of title II of the Congressional Accountability
Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1311 et seq.) is amended—
(1)in the heading,
by striking fair labor
standards,
and all that follows and inserting
and other protections and
benefits
;
(2)by redesignating
section 207 as section 208; and
(3)by inserting
after section 206 the following:
207.Rights and
protections under whistleblower protection rules
(a)Rights and
Protections Described
(1)No employing office may take or fail to take, or threaten
to take or fail to take, a personnel action (within the meaning of chapter 23
of title 5, United States Code) with respect to any covered employee or
applicant for employment because of—
(A)any disclosure of
information by a covered employee or applicant which the employee or applicant
reasonably believes evidences—
(i)a
violation of any law, rule, or regulation; or
(ii)gross
mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial
and specific danger to public health or safety;
if such
disclosure is not specifically prohibited by law and if such information is not
specifically required by Executive order or the rules of the Senate or the
House of Representatives to be kept secret in the interest of national defense
or the conduct of foreign affairs; or(B)any disclosure to
the General Counsel, or to the Inspector General of a legislative or executive
agency or another employee designated by the head of the legislative or
executive agency to receive such disclosures, of information which the employee
or applicant reasonably believes evidences—
(i)a
violation of any law, rule, or regulation; or
(ii)gross
mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial
and specific danger to public health or safety.
(2)For
purposes of this section and for purposes of applying the procedures
established under title IV for the consideration of alleged violations of this
section—
(A)the term
covered employee includes an employee of the Government
Accountability Office or Library of Congress; and
(B)the term
employing office includes the Government Accountability Office and
the Library of Congress.
(b)The
remedy for a violation of subsection (a) shall be such remedy as would be
appropriate if awarded under chapter 12 of title 5, United States Code, with
respect to a prohibited personnel practice described in section 2302(b)(8) of
such title.
(c)Regulations To
Implement Section
(1)The Board shall, pursuant to section 304, issue
regulations to implement this section.
(2)The regulations issued under paragraph (1) shall be
the same as the substantive regulations promulgated by the Merit Systems
Protection Board to implement chapters 12 and 23 of title 5, United States
Code, except to the extent that the Board of Directors of the Office of
Compliance may determine, for good cause shown and stated together with the
regulation, that a modification of such regulations would be more effective for
the implementation of the rights and protections under this
section.
.
(b)Technical and
conforming amendments
(1)The table of contents for part A of title II of the
Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 is amended—
(A)in the item
relating to part A, by striking Fair Labor
Standards,
and all that follows and inserting
and Other Protections and
Benefits
;
(B)by redesignating
the item relating to section 207 as relating to section 208; and
(C)by inserting
after the item relating to section 206 the following:
Sec. 207. Rights and protections under
whistleblower protection
rules.
.
(2)Section 102(a) of the Congressional Accountability Act of
1995 (2 U.S.C. 1302(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(12)Section
2302(b)(8) of title 5, United States
Code.
.