Sec. 3. Prohibited personnel practices; information on whistleblower protections
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/bill/114/s/2968/is/section-3·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Section 2302 of title 5, United States Code, is amended— in subsection (a)(2)(A)— in clause (xi), by striking and at the end; by redesignating clause
(xii)as clause (xiii); and by inserting after clause
(xi)the following: for the purposes of paragraph
(8)or
(9)of subsection (b), the accessing of a medical record of the employee or applicant for employment; and ; in subsection (b)(9)(D), by inserting , rule, or regulation after order ; and by striking subsection
(c)and inserting the following: In this subsection— the term new employee means an individual— appointed to a position as an employee on or after the date of enactment of the Office of Special Counsel Reauthorization Act of 2016; and who has not previously served as an employee; and the term whistleblower protections means the protections against and remedies for a prohibited personnel practice described in paragraph
(8)or subparagraph (A)(i), (B), (C), or
(D)of paragraph
(9)of subsection (b). The head of each agency shall be responsible for— preventing prohibited personnel practices; complying with and enforcing applicable civil service laws, rules, and regulations, and other aspects of personnel management; and ensuring, in consultation with the Special Counsel and the Inspector General of the agency, that employees of the agency are informed of the rights and remedies available to the employees under this chapter and chapter 12, including— information with respect to whistleblower protections available to new employees during a probationary period; the role of the Office of Special Counsel and the Merit Systems Protection Board with respect to whistleblower protections; and the means by which, with respect to information that is otherwise required by law or Executive order to be kept classified in the interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs, an employee may make a lawful disclosure of the information to— the Special Counsel; the Inspector General of an agency; Congress; or another employee of the agency who is designated to receive such a disclosure. The head of each agency shall ensure that the information described in paragraph
(2)is provided to each new employee of the agency not later than 180 days after the date on which the new employee is appointed. The head of each agency shall make available information regarding whistleblower protections applicable to employees of the agency on the public website of the agency and on any online portal that is made available only to employees of the agency, if such portal exists. Any employee to whom the head of an agency delegates authority for any aspect of personnel management shall, within the limits of the scope of the delegation, be responsible for the activities described in paragraph (2). .