Sheila Jackson Lee: “Let me rise today to thank both the chairman and the ranking member of this committee, Mr. Chaffetz and Mr. Cummings…”

“Let me rise today to thank both the chairman and the ranking member of this committee, Mr. Chaffetz and Mr. Cummings, for their leadership on a very important issue, which I rise to be part of and with a little history on this issue with the earlier passage of the No FEAR Act so many years ago. I support this legislation which ensures agencies effectively implement their Equal Employment Opportunity, or EEO, programs and that Federal employees are never prevented from disclosing discriminatory or wasteful actions to Congress, the office of special counsel, or inspectors general. How important is that? We have a history of addressing workplace equality, and that is why I sponsored similar legislation with the No FEAR Act, which was first introduced in Congress in 2002. This was previous legislation that had a sense of Congress provision, whereas this particular legislation further strengthens the responsibilities and rights of employees. The No FEAR Act set the precedent for imposing additional duties upon Federal agency employers, intended to reinvigorate their longstanding obligation to provide a work environment free of discrimination and retaliation. On October 2, 2000, the House Science Committee held a hearing dealing with actions at one of our agencies. Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo had been in my office repeatedly. I mention her name because of her continued vigilance in speaking about issues dealing with whistleblowers.…”