[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1869 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1869
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To reauthorize and rename the position of Whistleblower Ombudsman to be
the Whistleblower Protection Coordinator.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Whistleblower Protection
Coordination Act''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION.
(a) In General.--Section 3(d) of the Inspector General Act of 1978
(5 U.S.C. App.) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)(C)--
(A) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as
subclauses (I) and (II), respectively, and adjusting
the margins accordingly;
(B) by striking ``Ombudsman who shall educate
agency employees--'' and inserting the following:
``Coordinator who shall--
``(i) educate agency employees--'';
(C) in subclause (I), as so redesignated, by
striking ``on retaliation'' and inserting ``against
retaliation'';
(D) in subclause (II), as so redesignated, by
striking the period at the end and inserting the
following: ``, including--
``(aa) the means by which employees
may seek review of any allegation of
reprisal, including the roles of the
Office of the Inspector General, the
Office of Special Counsel, the Merit
Systems Protection Board, and any other
relevant entities; and
``(bb) general information about
the timeliness of such cases, the
availability of any alternative dispute
mechanisms, and avenues for potential
relief.''; and
(E) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) assist the Inspector General in promoting
the timely and appropriate handling and consideration
of protected disclosures and allegations of reprisal,
to the extent practicable, by the Inspector General;
and
``(iii) assist the Inspector General in
facilitating communication and coordination with the
Special Counsel, the Council of the Inspectors General
on Integrity and Efficiency, the establishment,
Congress, and any other relevant entity regarding the
timely and appropriate handling and consideration of
protected disclosures, allegations of reprisal, and
general matters regarding the implementation and
administration of whistleblower protection laws, rules,
and regulations.'';
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``Ombudsman'' and
inserting ``Coordinator'';
(3) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
(4) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) The Whistleblower Protection Coordinator shall have
direct access to the Inspector General as needed to accomplish
the requirements of this subsection.''.
(b) Responsibilities of CIGIE.--Section 11(c) of the Inspector
General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(5) Additional responsibilities relating to whistleblower
protection.--The Council shall--
``(A) facilitate the work of the Whistleblower
Protection Coordinators designated under section
3(d)(C); and
``(B) in consultation with the Office of Special
Counsel and Whistleblower Protection Coordinators from
the member offices of the Inspector General, develop
best practices for coordination and communication in
promoting the timely and appropriate handling and
consideration of protected disclosures, allegations of
reprisal, and general matters regarding the
implementation and administration of whistleblower
protection laws, in accordance with Federal law.''.
(c) Reporting.--Section 5 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5
U.S.C. App.) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by amending paragraph (20) to read
as follows:
``(20)(A) a detailed description of any instance of
whistleblower retaliation, including information about the
official found to have engaged in retaliation; and
``(B) what, if any, consequences the establishment actually
imposed to hold the official described in subparagraph (A)
accountable;''; and
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (3)(D), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph
(5); and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
``(4) whether the establishment entered into a settlement
agreement with the official described in subsection (a)(20)(A),
which shall be reported regardless of any confidentiality
agreement relating to the settlement agreement; and''.
(d) Repeal of Sunset.--
(1) In general.--Subsection (c) of section 117 of the
Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 (Public Law
112-199; 126 Stat. 1475) is repealed.
(2) Retroactive effective date.--The amendment made by
paragraph (1) shall take effect on November 26, 2017.
Passed the Senate March 15, 2018.
Attest:
Secretary.
115th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1869
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To reauthorize and rename the position of Whistleblower Ombudsman to be
the Whistleblower Protection Coordinator.