Obama Signs Federal Whistleblower Measure Extending Additional Protections to Workers

Federal employees will have strengthened whistleblower protections under legislation (S. 743) signed into law by President Obama Nov. 27.

Under the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, federal whistleblowers will be protected from retaliation for disclosing government wrongdoing, even if they:

• are not the first person who discloses given misconduct;
• blow the whistle while carrying out their job duties;
• make a disclosure to a supervisor rather than the public;
• disclose the consequences of a policy decision; or
• do not have “irrefragable proof” (defined as “undeniable, incontestable, incontrovertible proof”) of government misconduct.

Whistleblower protections for federal employees under these scenarios had ...