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Washington, D.C.—In advance of a vote by the full House of Representatives scheduled for tomorrow, the leader of the nation’s largest independent union of federal employees sent a letter to every House member reiterating the union’s strong support for expanded whistleblower protections for the federal workforce.

In her letter, President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) told House members NTEU believes that H.R. 985, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, is “strong, comprehensive legislation that will provide and restore needed protections.”

Specifically, she said the bill would address three critical areas:

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It would permit access for whistleblowers to federal district courts if the Merit Systems Protection Board does not act on their claims within 180 days—and would allow all circuits of federal appellate courts to review such cases;

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It would close loopholes which have prevented whistleblowers with national security responsibilities from obtaining protections; and

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It would overturn the Supreme Court’s decision of last year preventing government whistleblowers from obtaining First Amendment protections when they report their concerns ‘internally’ through their workplace chain of command.

In calling for approval of the measure, Kelley emphasized that “all of these provisions are necessary improvements in the law to protect federal employees who are serving the public interest by their actions.”

The union leader reminded representatives that NTEU has a long-standing concern about whistleblower protections for federal employees. “We have been concerned that the laws protecting whistleblowers are inadequate and that recent court decisions have even further eroded employee protections,” she said.

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents some 150,000 employees in 30 agencies and departments.