Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified Rep. Sean Duffy's political party affiliation. It has been corrected to the Republican Party.
Employees who refuse to follow an order that would violate a law, rule or regulation would be protected from retaliation if new legislation gets signed into law.
The Follow the Rules Act — introduced by Reps. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., and Gerry Connolly, D-Va. — adds a clarification to the Whistleblower Protection Act spurred by a misinterpretation by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in the case of Rainey v. MSPB.
The bill, HR 657, is intended to protect employees rooting out mismanagement, abuse and corruption, even if it means disobeying the orders of superiors.
"As a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, I rely on whistleblowers to help us with our oversight and reform work. Without them, rooting out mismanagement, abuse and corruption would be very difficult," Connolly said in a news release. "Employees should be protected from retaliation if they do the right thing."
