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[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1869 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.1869

                     One Hundred Fifteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America

                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
           the third day of January, two thousand and eighteen

                                 An Act

 
To reauthorize and rename the position of Whistleblower Ombudsman to be 
                the Whistleblower Protection Coordinator.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Whistleblower Protection 
Coordination Act''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION.
    (a) In General.--Section 3(d) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 
(5 U.S.C. App.) is amended--
        (1) in paragraph (1)(C)--
            (A) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I) 
        and (II), respectively, and adjusting the margins accordingly;
            (B) by striking ``Ombudsman who shall educate agency 
        employees--'' and inserting the following: ``Coordinator who 
        shall--
            ``(i) educate agency employees--'';
            (C) in subclause (I), as so redesignated, by striking ``on 
        retaliation'' and inserting ``against retaliation'';
            (D) in subclause (II), as so redesignated, by striking the 
        period at the end and inserting the following: ``, including--

                    ``(aa) the means by which employees may seek review 
                of any allegation of reprisal, including the roles of 
                the Office of the Inspector General, the Office of 
                Special Counsel, the Merit Systems Protection Board, 
                and any other relevant entities; and
                    ``(bb) general information about the timeliness of 
                such cases, the availability of any alternative dispute 
                mechanisms, and avenues for potential relief.''; and

            (E) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(ii) assist the Inspector General in promoting the timely 
        and appropriate handling and consideration of protected 
        disclosures and allegations of reprisal, to the extent 
        practicable, by the Inspector General; and
            ``(iii) assist the Inspector General in facilitating 
        communication and coordination with the Special Counsel, the 
        Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, 
        the establishment, Congress, and any other relevant entity 
        regarding the timely and appropriate handling and consideration 
        of protected disclosures, allegations of reprisal, and general 
        matters regarding the implementation and administration of 
        whistleblower protection laws, rules, and regulations.'';
        (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``Ombudsman'' and inserting 
    ``Coordinator'';
        (3) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
        (4) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
        ``(3) The Whistleblower Protection Coordinator shall have 
    direct access to the Inspector General as needed to accomplish the 
    requirements of this subsection.''.
    (b) Responsibilities of CIGIE.--Section 11(c) of the Inspector 
General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
        ``(5) Additional responsibilities relating to whistleblower 
    protection.--The Council shall--
            ``(A) facilitate the work of the Whistleblower Protection 
        Coordinators designated under section 3(d)(C); and
            ``(B) in consultation with the Office of Special Counsel 
        and Whistleblower Protection Coordinators from the member 
        offices of the Inspector General, develop best practices for 
        coordination and communication in promoting the timely and 
        appropriate handling and consideration of protected 
        disclosures, allegations of reprisal, and general matters 
        regarding the implementation and administration of 
        whistleblower protection laws, in accordance with Federal 
        law.''.
    (c) Reporting.--Section 5 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 
U.S.C. App.) is amended--
        (1) in subsection (a), by amending paragraph (20) to read as 
    follows:
        ``(20)(A) a detailed description of any instance of 
    whistleblower retaliation, including information about the official 
    found to have engaged in retaliation; and
        ``(B) what, if any, consequences the establishment actually 
    imposed to hold the official described in subparagraph (A) 
    accountable;''; and
        (2) in subsection (b)--
            (A) in paragraph (3)(D), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (B) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and
            (C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
        ``(4) whether the establishment entered into a settlement 
    agreement with the official described in subsection (a)(20)(A), 
    which shall be reported regardless of any confidentiality agreement 
    relating to the settlement agreement; and''.
    (d) Repeal of Sunset.--
        (1) In general.--Subsection (c) of section 117 of the 
    Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-
    199; 126 Stat. 1475) is repealed.
        (2) Retroactive effective date.--The amendment made by 
    paragraph (1) shall take effect on November 26, 2017.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.
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