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[Pages S3128-S3129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 634--DESIGNATING JULY 30, 2020, AS ``NATIONAL
WHISTLEBLOWER APPRECIATION DAY''
Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Tillis, Ms. Hirono, Mr.
Boozman, Mr. Peters, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Carper, Ms. Collins, Mr. Markey, Ms.
Ernst, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Fischer, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Moran, Ms. Duckworth,
Mr. Johnson, Ms. Sinema, and Mrs. Blackburn) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 634
Whereas, in 1777, before the passage of the Bill of Rights,
10 sailors and Marines blew
[[Page S3129]]
the whistle on fraud and misconduct that was harmful to the
United States;
Whereas the Founding Fathers unanimously supported the
whistleblowers in words and deeds, including by releasing
government records and providing monetary assistance for the
reasonable legal expenses necessary to prevent retaliation
against the whistleblowers;
Whereas, on July 30, 1778, in demonstration of their full
support for whistleblowers, the members of the Continental
Congress unanimously passed the first whistleblower
legislation in the United States that read: ``Resolved, That
it is the duty of all persons in the service of the United
States, as well as all other the inhabitants thereof, to give
the earliest information to Congress or other proper
authority of any misconduct, frauds or misdemeanors committed
by any officers or persons in the service of these states,
which may come to their knowledge'' (legislation of July 30,
1778, reprinted in Journals of the Continental Congress,
1774-1789, ed. Worthington C. Ford et al. (Washington, DC,
1904-37), 11:732);
Whereas whistleblowers risk their careers, jobs, and
reputations by reporting waste, fraud, and abuse to the
proper authorities;
Whereas, in providing the proper authorities with lawful
disclosures, whistleblowers save the taxpayers of the United
States billions of dollars each year and serve the public
interest by ensuring that the United States remains an
ethical and safe place; and
Whereas it is the public policy of the United States to
encourage, in accordance with Federal law (including the
Constitution of the United States, rules, and regulations)
and consistent with the protection of classified information
(including sources and methods of detection of classified
information), honest and good faith reporting of misconduct,
fraud, misdemeanors, and other crimes to the appropriate
authority at the earliest time possible: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates July 30, 2020, as ``National Whistleblower
Appreciation Day''; and
(2) ensures that the Federal Government implements the
intent of the Founding Fathers, as reflected in the
legislation passed on July 30, 1778 (relating to
whistleblowers), by encouraging each executive agency to
recognize National Whistleblower Appreciation Day by--
(A) informing employees, contractors working on behalf of
the taxpayers of the United States, and members of the public
about the legal right of a United States citizen to ``blow
the whistle'' to the appropriate authority by honest and good
faith reporting of misconduct, fraud, misdemeanors, or other
crimes; and
(B) acknowledging the contributions of whistleblowers to
combating waste, fraud, abuse, and violations of laws and
regulations of the United States.
____________________
