Hooray for science!

With so many rights we have taken for granted under attack, it's great to discover that there are heroes who shepherded this legislation through until it was passed.

Victory for Federal Scientists
Congress Passes Whistleblower Legislation

At long last, both houses of Congress passed whistleblower legislation that will protect federal employees who expose the censorship and misuse of government science. The bill (pdf) now goes to President Obama's desk. He's expected to sign it.

My colleague, Senior Washington Representative Celia Wexler, put it best:

"The [legislation] recognizes for the first time that censorship of federal information is as harmful to the country as other types of waste, fraud, and abuse in government…At a time when science seems to be routinely under attack in Congress, this legislative success is a breath of fresh air and a reminder that bipartisan cooperation is still possible."

Many organizations across the political spectrum worked for more than a decade to strengthen U.S. whistleblower law. But it was the Union of Concerned Scientists who pushed for protections for agency scientists when their work was suppressed or misused. Celia and other UCS staff spent hundreds of hours on Capitol Hill educating lawmakers on this critical issue.

And you were there with us. We first asked you to contact Congress about this issue in 2007. And your emails, phone calls, and donations made a big difference over the years, as we saw lawmakers begin to understand the importance of whistleblower protections and then advocate for them.

We particularly are grateful to representatives Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Steve Pearce (R-NM), Todd Platts (R-PA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO). These elected officials saw the legislation through to the end, ensuring that it would not die with the end of this session of Congress.

Thank you for being with us—and speaking out—during the long haul.

Sincerely, Kevin Knobloch President UCS is a 501(c)(3) organization. All gifts are tax deductible. You can be confident your donations to UCS are spent wisely.