On April 30th, the Senate unanimously passed the Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act. The legislation proposed by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Gary Peters (D-Mich) aims to strengthen whistleblower protections for federal contractors. It now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.
The legislation will strengthen whistleblower protections for federal contractors and grantees beyond existing law. Under current law, it is illegal for contractors, subcontractors, grantees, and personal services contractors to fire, demote, or otherwise retaliate against employees for whistleblowing.
Sen. Peters points out that while current law offers some protections for federal contractor employees, it is weaker than those available to federal and private-sector employees, leaving room for retaliation by federal officials. The bill seeks to strengthen these protections and increase accountability for such actions.
The bill also clarifies that whistleblower protections cannot be waived through non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) or other employment contracts. It also protects employees from retaliation if they refuse to carry out unlawful directives.
Finally, the bill would limit the authority of executive branch officials by making clear that they cannot direct contractors to retaliate against whistleblowers, and would allow agencies to take disciplinary action against officials who engage in such conduct.
“Whistleblowers working for federal contractors and subcontractors shouldn’t face retaliation for sounding the alarm on waste, fraud, and abuse,” said long-time whistleblower advocate Grassley, “I’m glad to see the Senate pass this legislation to strengthen protections for whistleblowers and close the loopholes that have allowed retaliation.”
