Federal

Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission Whistleblower Protection Act

Source: Congress.gov · 339 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill amends the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 to clarify whistleblower rights and protections. The bill changes how the law refers to parties involved in whistleblower cases at the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Who It Affects

Employees who report safety or legal concerns at the Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Employers at these agencies who are subject to whistleblower protection rules.

Key Provisions

• The bill changes references in Section 211 of the Energy Reorganization Act from "person" to "employer" in subsection (b), paragraph (1) (Sec. 2(1)(A)) • The bill replaces "the person" with "the employer" throughout subsection (b), paragraph (2) (Sec. 2(1)(B)) • The bill changes "a person" to "an employer" in subsection (d) (Sec. 2(2)) • The bill replaces "the person" with "the employer" in subsection (e)(1) (Sec. 2(3))

What Changes

The bill replaces references to "person" with "employer" in multiple sections of existing whistleblower protection law. This clarifies which party the whistleblower protection rules apply to in legal proceedings.

Important Definitions

None defined in the bill text.

II 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1112 To amend the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 to clarify whistleblower rights and protections, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 30, 2023 Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. LANKFORD, and Mr. MARKEY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To amend the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 to clarify whistleblower rights and protections, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Department of Energy 4 and Nuclear Regulatory Commission Whistleblower Pro- 5 tection Act’’. 6 SEC. 2. CLARIFICATION OF WHISTLEBLOWER RIGHTS AND 7 PROTECTIONS. 8 Section 211 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 9 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5851) is amended— 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:08 Apr 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1112.IS S1112 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •S 1112 IS (1) in subsection (b)— 1 (A) in paragraph (1)— 2 (i) in the first sentence, by striking 3 ‘‘person in’’ and inserting ‘‘employer in’’; 4 and 5 (ii) in the second sentence, by striking 6 ‘‘the person’’ and inserting ‘‘the em- 7 ployer’’; and 8 (B) in paragraph (2)— 9 (i) by striking ‘‘the person’’ each place 10 it appears and inserting ‘‘the employer’’; 11 and 12 (ii) in subparagraph (B), in the first 13 sentence, by striking ‘‘such person’’ and 14 inserting ‘‘such employer’’; 15 (2) in subsection (d), in the first sentence, by 16 striking ‘‘a person’’ and inserting ‘‘an employer’’; 17 and 18 (3) in subsection (e)(1), in the first sentence, by 19 striking ‘‘the person’’ and inserting ‘‘the employer’’. 20 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:08 Apr 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S1112.IS S1112 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB

Important: This plain English summary was generated by AI and is provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Always consult the official bill text on Congress.gov or a qualified attorney for legal matters.