POGO Proposes Reforming the Office of Special Counsel

In a recent report titled, “Breaking the Sound Barrier:  Experiences of Air Marshals Confirm Need for Reform at the OSC,” the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) documents the need for a major overhaul of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC).  In addition, the report provides very insightful recommendations for reforming the OSC, including:

•  Increasing the budget request to increase the number of qualified investigators and prosecutors on staff at the OSC;
•  Enacting legislation to grant OSC independent litigation authority and to prohibit executive agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration from retroactively marking or labeling information with the unclassified information designation;
• Creating an organizational culture where employees are not only encouraged to voice concerns, but also protected when they do so;
• Requiring all federal agencies to participate in the OSC’s Certification program;
• Requiring a staff interview with the whistleblower before closing a case;
• Allowing the whistleblower to respond to the agency’s investigation before closing a disclosure case; and
• Requiring OSC staff to report the number of favorable actions they seek on behalf of whistleblowers.

For more information about federal whistleblower protection, click here.

Tagged: Whistleblower Laws (Federal)