[United States Government Manual]
[June 01, 2008]
[Pages 497-498]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL

1730 M Street NW., Suite 218, Washington, DC 20036-4505

Phone, 202-254-3600 or 800-872-9855. Fax, 202-653-5151. Internet, 
www.osc.gov.
Special Counsel                                   Scott J. Bloch
Deputy Special Counsel                            James Byrne
    Associate Special Counsel for                 Leonard Dribinsky
            Investigation and 
            Prosecution Division
    Director of Field Operations                  William Reukauf
    Outreach Director                             James Mitchell
    Associate Special Counsel for Legal           Erin M. McDonnell
            Counsel and Policy Division
Director of Communications                        James Mitchell

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The Office of Special Counsel investigates allegations of certain 
activities prohibited by civil service laws, rules, or regulations and 
litigates before the Merit Systems Protection Board.

Activities

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) was established on January 1, 1979, 
by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978 (5 U.S.C. app.). The Civil Service 
Reform
  
Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 1101 note), which became effective on January 11, 
1979, enlarged its functions and powers. Pursuant to provisions of the 
Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 (5

[[Page 498]]

U.S.C. 1211 et seq.), OSC functions as an independent investigative and 
prosecutorial agency within the executive branch which litigates before 
the Merit Systems Protection Board.
    The primary role of OSC is to protect employees, former employees, 
and applicants for employment from prohibited personnel practices, 
especially reprisal for whistleblowing. Its basic areas of statutory 
responsibility are to do the following:
    --receive and investigate allegations of prohibited personnel 
practices and other activities prohibited by civil service law, rule, or 
regulation and, if warranted, initiating corrective or disciplinary 
action;
    --provide a secure channel through which information evidencing a 
violation of any law, rule, or regulation, gross mismanagement, gross 
waste of funds, abuse of authority, or substantial and specific danger 
to public health or safety may be disclosed without fear of retaliation 
and without disclosure of identity, except with the employee's consent; 
and
    --enforce the provisions of the Hatch Act and the Uniformed Services 
Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

 Sources of Information

Field offices are located in Dallas, TX (525 Griffin Street, Room 824, 
Box 103, Dallas, TX 75202. Phone, 214-747-1519. Fax, 214-767-2764); 
Oakland, CA (1301 Clay Street, Suite 1220N, Oakland, CA 94612-5217. 
Phone, 510-637-3460. Fax, 510-637-3474); and Detroit, MI (477 Michigan 
Avenue, Suite 2340, Detroit, MI 48226. Phone, 313-226-4496. Fax, 313-
226-5606).

For further information, contact the Office of Special Counsel, 1730 M 
Street NW., Suite 218, Washington, DC 20036-4505. Phone, 202-254-3600 or 
800-872-9855. Fax, 202-653-5151. Internet, www.osc.gov.

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