House lawmakers spar over whistleblower protections (6/16/05)www.GovExec.com -

www.GovExec.com - House lawmakers spar over whistleblower protections (6/16/05):

"A bill moving through the House would allow the president to exempt employees working on homeland security issues from whistleblower protections, prompting heated opposition from Democrats and a coalition of national security whistleblowers.

The House version of the Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act includes a provision that would give the president authority to exempt any agency that primarily performs 'foreign intelligence, counterintelligence activities or homeland security' from whistleblower protections.

Agencies that primarily conduct foreign intelligence and counterintelligence activities, such as the FBI, CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Imagery and Mapping Agency, and National Security Agency, have never had whistleblower protections. But House Democrats and whistleblower advocates object to language that would disqualify homeland security employees from those protections. That would apply to employees throughout the Homeland Security Department and could affect workers at other agencies, such as the Energy Department."