Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2015

Summary

Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2015 This bill directs the Special Counsel: (1) within 10 days after a federal agency terminates a probationary employee who has submitted an allegation of a prohibited personnel practice, to determine whether a substantial likelihood exists that the agency engaged in such practice and that the termination was related; (2) upon determining such likelihood exists, to request the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) to order a stay of the termination for 60 days (and up to an additional 6 months) to complete an investigation; (3) upon determining that the employee's termination was related to such a practice, to request the MSPB to order reinstatement of such employee; and (4) upon determining that the agency did not engage in such a practice or that the employee's termination was not related to such a practice, to request the MSPB to order the immediate enforcement of the termination. An agency must give priority to a request for a transfer submitted by an employee granted such a stay or reinstated. The Special Counsel, in carrying out duties to protect employees and applicants, is authorized to: (1) have access to all material available to an agency that relates to a matter within the Special Counsel's jurisdiction, and (2) request necessary information or assistance from any agency. The bill: (1) authorizes an agency to remove or demote an employee upon determining that the employee retaliated against a whistleblower; (2) provides for the appeal of such removal or demotion; (3) requires an agency to take specified actions to determine whether the suicide of an employee was work-related; (4) prohibits an executive branch employee from accessing the medical records of another employee without that employee's consent, except in an emergency situation; and (5) requires executive agencies to provide training to supervisors regarding how to respond to complaints alleging a violation of whistleblower protections. Each agency must: (1) provide each new employee information regarding whistleblower protections and the role of the Special Counsel, and (2) make information about such protections available on an online portal. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must notify a VA employee not later than five days after another VA employee accesses such employee's medical record. An employee who believes his or her medical record was accessed in violation of federal privacy law must file a complaint with the Office of Accountability Review, which must then determine whether such a violation occurred and take specified actions against the violator. The VA must: (1) conduct a program of outreach to inform its employees of available mental health services, (2) assess the feasibility of using mental health professionals who provide mental health services for the VA to provide mental health services to its employees, and (3) develop protocols to address threats from individuals receiving VA health care directed towards VA employees who are providing such care. The Government Accountability Office shall assess the reporting, accountability, and chain of command structure of the VA police officers at VA medical centers.

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Documents

6 official files

• Reported to Senate (text)

  Reported to Senate · EN · 26 May 2016

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• Reported to Senate (PDF)

  Reported to Senate · EN · 26 May 2016

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• Reported to Senate with amendment(s)

  summary · EN · 26 May 2016

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• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 1 October 2015

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• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 1 October 2015

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 1 October 2015

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