{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://blum.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=635", "Rep. Rod Blum\u2019s Bipartisan Whistleblower Bill Signed Into Law", "2017-12-12", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "IA", "Rod Blum", "B001294", "blum.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Continuing to advocate for whistleblower protections, Rep. Rod Blum introduced H.R. 69, the Thoroughly Investigating Retaliation Against Whistleblowers Act on January 3, 2017, with his colleagues, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA), and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD). H.R. 69, in conjunction with the Senate version, S. 582, introduced by Senator Ron Johnson, was added to the National Defense Authorization Act and signed into law by President Trump earlier this afternoon. \r\n\u00a0\r\nH.R. 69 will amend the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 to reauthorize the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency, to protect federal employees, former employees, and applicants for employment from prohibited personnel practices (i.e., employment-related activities that violate the merit system through discrimination, retaliation, improper hiring practices, or failure to adhere to employment law).\r\n\u00a0\r\nCongressman Blum, Co-Chair of the Whistleblower Caucus, commented, \u201cThe Office of Special Counsel is a proven, important component of eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in our federal agencies. I am proud to have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this important reauthorization.\u201d \r\n\u00a0\r\nFull bill text can be found at: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/69", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://blum.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=635"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0108959395438433, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}