WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. House has approved a measure that would protect government whistleblowers from losing their jobs.
The National Whistleblower Center says the measure, which now goes to the Senate, is the first major reform of federal whistleblower laws in 18 years.
The Whistle Blower Enhancement Act provides most federal employees with a right to have their claims heard in federal court, and protects federal employees who expose waste, fraud and corruption through their chain of command.
Federal records show that more than half of whistleblower retaliation claims against private or federal employers approved since 2000 include permanent bans on working for the employer, USA Today reported.
Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a statement that the clauses amount to blacklisting.
The employment bans stem from cases in which companies settled charges that they wrongly fired or disciplined whistle-blowers, the newspaper said.
