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Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016

Public Law 114-302 · H.R. 5790 · 114th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 16, 2016 · Crime and Law Enforcement

Sponsor: Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT-3)

Cosponsors (12): Rep. Hakeem Jeffries,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 404 yea, 0 nay404–0
  • SenateVoice vote
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill revises a provision with respect to whistle-blower protections for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employee or job applicant who discloses wrongdoing to an appropriate official.

It prohibits an FBI employee from taking or failing to take a personnel action (e.g., demotion) with respect to an FBI employee or applicant because of a protected disclosure. A protected disclosure is a disclosure of information to an appropriate official which an employee or applicant reasonably believes evidences: (1) a violation of a law, rule, or regulation; or (2) waste, fraud, or abuse.

Additionally, the bill expands the list of appropriate officials who may receive a protected disclosure to include, among others, a supervisor in an employee's direct chain of command.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 114th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 404 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

404 yea0 nay29 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(171)

Republicans who voted yea(233)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 1316 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • S. 2390Related bill

    Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 19 actions.

  1. Dec 16, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-302.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 15, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 12, 2016FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Dec 10, 2016FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
  6. Dec 7, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  7. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 404 - 0 (Roll no. 616).House roll call 616
  8. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  9. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  10. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5790.
  11. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  12. FloorFloor · Mr. Chaffetz moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  13. CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
  14. Nov 29, 2016CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 656.
  15. CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 114-835.
  16. Sep 15, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.
  17. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  18. Jul 14, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
  19. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.