Bill > S586

This bill, the Congressional Whistleblower Protection Act of 2011, amends the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to extend whistleblower rights and protections to employees of the legislative branch, including those working for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Library of Congress. Whistleblowers are employees who report information they reasonably believe shows a violation of laws, gross mismanagement, waste of funds, abuse of authority, or a danger to public health or safety, provided the disclosure isn't prohibited by law or required to be kept secret for national defense or foreign affairs. The bill also allows disclosures to specific designated officials within legislative or executive agencies. For violations of these protections, the bill establishes remedies that are the same as those available for prohibited personnel practices in the executive branch, as defined in chapter 23 of title 5 of the United States Code.