In March, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published new proposed regulations for the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) whistleblower procedures. The new rules update FBI whistleblower procedures to align with the 2016 FBI Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016.
The FBI has a long history of retaliating against whistleblowers who have come forward to expose misconduct at the agency. In 2015, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a scathing report “Whistleblower Protection: Additional Actions Needed to Improve DOJ’s Handling of FBI Retaliation Complaints.”
Partially in response to the GAO Report, Congress passed the FBI Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016. This stripped-down reform bill expanded the list of appropriate officials who could receive protected disclosures.
The DOJ’s new proposed regulations “include updating the description of protected whistleblower disclosures and covered personnel actions to conform to the FBI WPEA of 2016; providing for more equal access to witnesses; and specifying that compensatory damages may be awarded as appropriate,” according to the proposal.
“The proposed changes also include new provisions to formalize practices that have been implemented informally, including providing for the use of acknowledgement and show-cause orders, providing access to alternative dispute resolution through the Department’s FBI Whistleblower Mediation Program, clarifying the authority to adjudicate allegations of a...
KUANTAN: An elephant handler has expressed disappointment over claims that three Malaysian elephants sent to a Japanese zoo are suffering in their new environment. Mahout Suhaimi Ibrahim, who spen...