Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016

Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill revises a provision with respect to whistle-blower protections for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employee or job applicant who discloses wrongdoing to an appropriate official.

It prohibits an FBI employee from taking or failing to take a personnel action (e.g., demotion) with respect to an FBI employee or applicant because of a protected disclosure. A protected disclosure is a disclosure of information to an appropriate official which an employee or applicant reasonably believes evidences: (1) a violation of a law, rule, or regulation; or (2) waste, fraud, or abuse.

Additionally, the bill expands the list of appropriate officials who may receive a protected disclosure to include, among others, a supervisor in an employee's direct chain of command.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov