Jury trials and protections for national security whistleblowers are at stake
Washington, D.C. July 28, 2009. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will be marking up its version of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009 (S. 372). The markup will be held in Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 342 at 10:00 a.m.
In a statement issued on behalf of the National Whistleblower Center, Executive Director Stephen M. Kohn stated: “We urge the Senate to amend S. 372 to include key protections contained in the House version of the bill (H.R. 1507). The House bill covers for all federal employees and ensures that federal workers can have their case heard in court by a jury of their peers. The House bill also ends the 30 year old exclusion which blocked national security whistleblowers from protections.”
During the presidential campaign, the Obama campaign endorsed the House bill, as did numerous other leading candidates, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Arkansas Governor Michael Huckabee.
NWC General Counsel David K. Colapinto will provide expert analysis and commentary on how the Senate markups affect the strength of the whistleblower protections in this legislation on Twitter @StopFraud. Mr. Colapinto has represented federal employee whistleblowers for over 20 years and has been actively involved in the legislative development of both bills.
