H.R. 3281: Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act

108th Congress · introduced 2003-10-08 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2003-10-08 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Platts, Todd Russell [R-PA-19] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act

Plain summary

Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act - Amends Federal law to protect specified disclosures by Federal employees or applicants without restriction as to time, place, form, motive, context, or prior disclosure. Creates a rebuttable presumption regarding the performance of duty by employees with authority. Prohibits implementation or enforcement of nondisclosure documents absent a statement that the restrictions imposed are consistent with and do not supersede specified laws. Authorizes the Merit Systems Protection Board or any reviewing court to determine whether there was a violation of prohibited personnel practices in actions relating to security clearances and to provide specified relief. Authorizes the President to exclude agencies with certain intelligence functions from coverage under the whistleblower statute only if the exclusion decision, as it relates to a personnel action, is made before that personnel action. Includes compensatory damages in the list of authorized corrective actions the Board may impose. Authorizes the Board to impose a combination of discliplinary action and civil penalties. Permits representation by attorneys for the Office of the Special Counsel in specified civil actions. Authorizes the Office of Special Counsel to obtain judicial review of Board decisions. Allows petitions for review to be filed in any court of appeals of competent jurisdiction during the five-year period beginning on the effective date of this Act (restricted to the Federal Circuit thereafter). Lengthens the appeal period. Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to clarify that the disclosure of independently obtained critical infrastructure information is a protected disclosure.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Platts, Todd Russell [R-PA-19] · 45 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 3281, Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act (2004-10-06); CBO cost estimate: H.R. 3281, Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act (2004-10-06)

Cosponsors on this site

Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Adam Smith (D-WA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-108hr3281.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/108/hr>

Record fed-us-cong108-hr3281 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong108 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong108