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Washington, D.C.—The leader of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) praised new Senate legislation to enhance federal whistleblower protections, noting the critical importance to our nation’s security of extending those rights to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees.

In a statement submitted as the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management convened a hearing on whistleblower legislation, NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley praised subcommittee Chairman Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) for introducing S. 372, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009, and extending statutory whistleblower rights to Transportation Security Officers (TSOs).

“TSOs have very limited whistleblower protection and it is not guaranteed by law, yet they are charged with the frontline security of the nation’s travelers,” she said. “Federal employees with such important responsibilities need adequate protections to feel safe enough to report problems that could affect our security.”

The NTEU leader also asked the committee to consider adding language that would allow federal employees full court access, including the right to jury trials, as a way to further strengthen current laws.

If approved, S. 372 would be the first major reform of federal whistleblower laws in nearly two decades. It is similar to a House amendment by Reps. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Todd Platts (R-Pa.) that the lawmakers attempted to attach to the federal economic stimulus package that was approved earlier this year. The House amendment, however, would have amended Title 5 regulations to allow all circuits of the appellate courts to review whistleblower cases.

With the rate of stimulus spending increasing, “it is critically important to enact these provisions quickly,” Kelley noted. “The money is still being expended, and earlier this week, President Obama indicated that he would speed up the pace on the release of the funds,” the NTEU leader stated.

“I look forward to working with the subcommittee and full committee to produce a bill that will, finally, extend whistleblower rights to TSOs and strengthen whistleblower protections in Title 5,” she said.

Expanding whistleblower protections for TSA employees has been a major goal of NTEU in its TSA representational efforts. The union represents thousands of TSA employees at 16 of the nation’s busiest airports and is organizing at additional airports across the country.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.