[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2466]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 298--DESIGNATING JULY 30, 2023, AS ``NATIONAL 
                    WHISTLEBLOWER APPRECIATION DAY''

  Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Lankford, Ms. Hirono, Ms. 
Collins, Mr. Peters, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Carper, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Markey, 
Mr. Boozman, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Moran, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Wicker, Ms. 
Sinema, Ms. Ernst, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Fischer, Mrs. 
Blackburn, and Mr. Warnock) submitted the following resolution; which 
was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 298

       Whereas, in 1777, before the passage of the Bill of Rights, 
     10 sailors and marines blew the whistle on fraud and 
     misconduct that was harmful to the United States;
       Whereas the Founding Fathers unanimously supported the 
     whistleblowers in words and deeds, including by releasing 
     government records and providing monetary assistance for the 
     reasonable legal expenses necessary to prevent retaliation 
     against the whistleblowers;
       Whereas, on July 30, 1778, in demonstration of their full 
     support for whistleblowers, the members of the Continental 
     Congress unanimously passed the first whistleblower 
     legislation in the United States that read: ``Resolved, That 
     it is the duty of all persons in the service of the United 
     States, as well as all other the inhabitants thereof, to give 
     the earliest information to Congress or other proper 
     authority of any misconduct, frauds or misdemeanors committed 
     by any officers or persons in the service of these states, 
     which may come to their knowledge'' (legislation of July 30, 
     1778, reprinted in Journals of the Continental Congress, 
     1774-1789, ed. Worthington C. Ford et al. (Washington, DC, 
     1904-37), 11:732);
       Whereas whistleblowers risk their careers, jobs, and 
     reputations by reporting waste, fraud, and abuse to the 
     proper authorities;
       Whereas, in providing the proper authorities with lawful 
     disclosures, whistleblowers save the taxpayers of the United 
     States billions of dollars each year and serve the public 
     interest by ensuring that the United States remains an 
     ethical and safe place; and
       Whereas it is the public policy of the United States to 
     encourage, in accordance with Federal law (including the 
     Constitution of the United States, rules, and regulations) 
     and consistent with the protection of classified information 
     (including sources and methods of detection of classified 
     information), honest and good faith reporting of misconduct, 
     fraud, misdemeanors, and other crimes to the appropriate 
     authority at the earliest time possible: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates July 30, 2023, as ``National Whistleblower 
     Appreciation Day''; and
       (2) ensures that the Federal Government implements the 
     intent of the Founding Fathers, as reflected in the 
     legislation passed on July 30, 1778 (relating to 
     whistleblowers), by encouraging each executive agency to 
     recognize National Whistleblower Appreciation Day by--
       (A) informing employees, contractors working on behalf of 
     the taxpayers of the United States, and members of the public 
     about the legal right of a United States citizen to ``blow 
     the whistle'' to the appropriate authority by honest and good 
     faith reporting of misconduct, fraud, misdemeanors, or other 
     crimes; and
       (B) acknowledging the contributions of whistleblowers to 
     combating waste, fraud, abuse, and violations of laws and 
     regulations of the United States.

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