WASHINGTON - September 29 -In a letter to House Government Reform Committee Chair Tom Davis (R.-Va.), a coalition of 20 good-government organizations from across the partisan and ideological spectrum praised his committee for a vote scheduled today to give jury trial rights to government whistleblowers. The bill, H.R. 1317, would amend the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) to give federal government workers access to courts, akin to the free speech breakthrough for corporate whistleblowers in the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The legislation duplicates provisions in a corresponding bill, S. 494, overturning a decade of judicial activism by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals that has largely left whistleblowers defenseless. The letter, along with talking points on the legislation, is attached to this email.

“If enacted into law, the Committee’s jury trial reform would be a landmark good government breakthrough when our country needs it most,” said Tom Devine, GAP Legal Director. “This action represents milestone progress toward a goal whistleblowers have sought for over two decades: A day in court with their rights decided by the taxpayers they purport to defend.”

GAP leads a bipartisan coalition that has been urging Congress to revive credible whistleblower rights since a 1999 court decision left federal whistleblowers largely defenseless. Since then, an expanding coalition has pressed for congressional action. The coalition includes the American Library Association, Coalition for Civil Rights and Democratic Liberties, Common Cause, Congress Against Racism and Corruption in Law Enforcement, Federal Employees Against Discrimination, Federation of American Scientists, Freedom Watch, Help Americans Against Legal Tyranny, Information Trust, Integrity International, National Judicial Misconduct and Disability Project, National Whistleblower Center, No Fear Coalition, OMB Watch, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Sustainable Energy and Economy Network, Taxpayers Against Fraud, Taxpayers for Common Sense, and Whistleblowers for Accountable Government.

GAP and its partners will now press for floor votes in the House and Senate. Last year, both the House and Senate Government Reform Committees approved similar legislation. However, the Department of Justice convinced House and Senate leaders not to schedule floor votes, and when the 108th Congress ended in December 2004, the legislation expired.

“This time, congressional leadership must not cave to pressure from the Justice Department,” says Devine. “Congress should find time for what has been nicknamed the Taxpayer Protection Act, because it gives government workers back the right to be public servants instead of silent bureaucrats. As tragically exposed from 9-11 to Katrina, it is a matter of life and death that government employees defending America’s families be provided with the necessary tools to defend themselves.”

Government Accountability Project

The Government Accountability Project is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, GAP’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability. Founded in 1977, GAP is a non-profit, public interest law firm with offices in Washington, D.C. and Seattle, WA.