United States HR 7936: Federal Employee Access to Information Act

Bill Text

I 
116THCONGRESS 
2
DSESSION 
H. R. 7936 
To amend title 5, United States Code, to protect Federal employees from 
retaliation for the lawful use of Federal records, and for other purposes. 
IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  
AUGUST4, 2020 
Mrs.  C
AROLYNB.  MALONEYof  New  York  (for  herself  and  Mr.  CONNOLLY) 
introduced  the  following  bill;  which  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  
Oversight and Reform 
A  BILL  
To  amend  title  5,  United  States  Code,  to  protect  Federal  
employees  from  retaliation  for  the  lawful  use  of  Federal  
records, 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 ‘‘Federal Employee Ac-4
cess to Information Act’’. 5
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•HR  7936  IH
SEC. 2. PROTECTIONS AGAINST RETALIATION FOR LAWFUL 1
USE  OF  FEDERAL  RECORDS  BY  FEDERAL  EM-2
PLOYEES. 3
(a)  P
ROTECTIONAGAINSTRETALIATION.—Section 4
2302(b)(9)  of  title  5,  United  States  Code,  is  amended—  5
(1)  in  subparagraph  (C),  by  striking  ‘‘or’’  at  6
the end; 7
(2)   in   subparagraph   (D),   by   inserting   ‘‘or’’   8
after the semicolon; and 9
(3) by adding at the end the following: 10
‘‘(E)  the  employee  or  applicant  for  employ-11
ment— 12
‘‘(i)  making  a  request  for  information  13
pursuant   to   section   552   (commonly   re-14
ferred  to  as  the  ‘Freedom  of  Information  15
Act’)   or   subsection   (d)   of   section   552a   16
(commonly  referred  to  as  the  ‘Privacy  Act  17
of 1974’); or 18
‘‘(ii)  pursuing  any  administrative  or  19
judicial action with respect to such request, 20
including  seeking  assistance  or  to  engage  21
in  dispute  resolution,  as  described  in  sec-22
tion 552.’’. 23
(b) C
ONFORMINGAMENDMENTS.— 24
(1)  T
ITLE   5.—Sections  1214,  1215(a)(3)(B),  25
1221,   2302,   and   7703   of   title   5,   United   States   26
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•HR  7936  IH
Code,  are  amended  by  striking  ‘‘or  (D)’’  in  each  in-1
stance and inserting ‘‘(D), or (E)’’. 2
(2)  W
HISTLEBLOWER   PROTECTION   ENHANCE-3
MENT   ACT   OF   2012.—Section  116(b)(1)(A)  of  the  4
Whistleblower  Protection  Enhancement  Act  of  2012  5
(Public  Law  112–199)  is  amended  by  striking  ‘‘or  6
(D)’’ and inserting ‘‘(D), or (E)’’. 7
Æ 
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