Members of the House and Senate have been holed up on Capitol Hill all day negotiating the terms of the President’s economic stimulus package. Earlier today, we learned that the whistleblower protection provisions in the bill were in danger. While the MSM has been reporting for some time that a deal has been struck, we still don’t know the fate of the whistleblower provisions. This legislation is would extend protections to millions of Americans, and should not be cut from the bill.
The National Whistleblowers Center issued the following press release this afternoon.
Key Whistleblower Oversight Provisions Should Not Be Cut From The Final Stimulus Bill
Washington, D.C. February 11, 2009. Key whistleblower oversight and accountability provisions should not be removed from the stimulus legislation. The Platts/Van Hollen amendment to the House version of the stimulus bill would extend meaningful whistleblower protections to all federal employees and it should be included in the stimulus bill.
Government and private industry have acknowledged that whistleblowers are the best way to detect waste, fraud and abuse.
“It would be a shame if Congress passed a massive stimulus spending bill without meaningful protections for all employees who are responsible for protecting taxpayer money, ” said Stephen M. Kohn, President National Whistleblowers Center.
“Congress must meet the public’s demand for oversight and accountability,” added Kohn. “Congress must immediately pass whistleblowers protections so that employees are not afraid to report waste, fraud and abuse.”
