May, 12 2009, 12:18pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Email:,contact@whistleblowers.org,Phone: (202) 342-1902
House Hearings Set For Federal Employee Whistleblower Protections
Government Oversight and Reform Committee To Meet On May 14, 2009 At Rayburn Office Building Room 2154
WASHINGTON
On
Thursday May 14th at 10 AM, the House Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform will be holding a hearing "Protecting the Public from
Waste, Fraud and Abuse: H.R. 1507, the Whistleblower Protecting
Enhancement Act of 2009." Please visit the National Whistleblowers
Center website: www.whistleblowers.org for updated information on the hearing.
This
is a critical hearing in which whistleblower advocates will present
testimony rebutting the extensive backroom lobbying of federal
executive agencies bent on defeating federal employee whistleblower
protections.
In March 2009, as
part of the federal stimulus package, the House enacted whistleblower
protections for all federal employees. Federal executive agencies,
which are one of the last segments of the
federal economy to escape meaningful whistleblower protections, spiked
the bill in the Senate and it was struck from the final stimulus
package. The whistleblower advocacy community is continuing to urge
Congress to pass federal employee whistleblower protections this year.
Bunnatine
Greenhouse, who circulated a strong letter calling for all Americans to
push for federal employee whistleblower protections, will be one of the
witnesses at the hearing. The National Whistleblowers Center is urging
every American to contact their elected representatives and urge them
to attend the hearings and support federal employee whistleblower
protections. To sign the NWC's petition click here. AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS
The NWC is making Halliburton whistleblower Bunnatine
Greenhouse and three experienced whistleblower advocates available for interviews: Bunnatine Greenhouse
stood alone in opposing the approval of a highly improper multi-billion
dollar no bid contract to Halliburton for the reconstruction of Iraq.
In retaliation for her courage she was removed from her position as the
highest-ranking civilian-contracting official at the Army Corps of
Engineers. Ms. Greenhouse will be testifying on why whistleblower
protection is essential to deter fraud and wasteful military spending.
For more information on Bunnatine Greenhouse click here.
David K. Colapinto
is the General Counsel
of the National Whistleblowers Center and will be testifying about the
need to protect national security whistleblowers. Mr. Colapinto's
clients have included Dr. Frederic Whitehurst,
who blew the whistle on FBI abuses at the first World Trade Center
bombing, Sibel Edmonds, the translator who the Bush Administration
invoked the state secrets privilege in order to have her whistleblower
case dismissed. Mr. Colapinto has represented whistleblowers since
1988 and is the co-author of Whistleblower Law: A Guide to Legal
Protections for Corporate Employees. For information on David K. Colapinto click here.
Michael D. Kohn
is the President of the National Whistleblowers Center. He has
represented whistleblowers since 1985 in numerous high profile cases,
and is currently lead counsel for Ms. Greenhouse. Mr.
Kohn is the co-author of The Labor Lawyers Guide to the Rights and
Responsibilities of Employee Whistleblowers and Whistleblower Law: A
Guide to Legal Protections for Corporate
Employees. Mr. Kohn will be at the hearing assisting Ms. Greenhouse.
For more information on Michael D. Kohn click here.
Stephen M. Kohn
is the Executive Director of the National Whistleblowers Center and one
of the nation's foremost experts in whistleblower law. He has written
six books on whistleblowing, including the first legal treatise ever
published on the subject. Since 1984, Mr. Kohn has successfully
represented whistleblowers in numerous cases high profile cases, and
currently represents Bassem Youssef, a unit chief in the FBI's
counterterrorism division with key management responsibilities related
to the
National Security Agency's Domestic Surveillance Program. For more
information on Stephen M. Kohn click here.
Since 1988, the NWC and attorneys associated with it have supported whistleblowers in the courts and before Congress and achieved victories for environmental protection, government contract fraud, nuclear safety and government and corporate accountability.
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The top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee warned Friday that President-elect Donald Trump is planning to "steal from the programs and services that affect middle-class, working, and vulnerable families" by refusing to spend money appropriated by Congress.
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