C-Span video of the opening discussion

Government Accountability Project

The Government Accountability Project and other supporters of whistleblower protections held the first day of a two-day assembly to raise support for the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009. Tom Devine and Frank Serpico talked about legal protections for people who reveal weaknesses in national security, aviation security, nuclear power programs, and border security. Representative Chris Van Hollen talked about the Whistleblower Protections Act of 2009 and some of the provisions in the legislation. Tom Devine and Frank Serpico answered questions from the audience.



Participants Include Serpico, Ellsberg, Van Hollen, Rowley

(Washington, D.C.) – The Government Accountability Project (GAP) and a coalition of public interest organizations are proud to announce that this year’s National Whistleblower Assembly will take place from May 24 & 25 on Capitol Hill. This year’s conference is chalked full of noted politicians, key government officials, and an all-star line up of famous whistleblowers. Cosponsors of the event include the American Federation of Government Employees, National Treasury Employees Union, Project On Government Oversight, Semmelweis Society International, and the Make It Safe Coalition.

The aim of this year’s conference is to raise awareness and build public support for the passing of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, currently stalled in the Senate.

All events will take place at either the Capitol Visitors Center, Rayburn House Office congressional rooms, or the Stewart R. Mott House (two minutes walking from the Visitors Center). Prominent guests that will speak at conference events include:

* Frank Serpico – NYPD whistleblower whose story is memorialized by the film that shares his name. Serpico will give opening remarks at the conference’s plenary session the morning of Monday, May 24.
* Rep. Chris Van Hollen – Democratic Representative from Maryland and a longtime champion of whistleblower rights. Van Hollen will also speak at the plenary session.
* Norm Eisen* – Special Counsel to President Obama for Ethics and Government Reform. *Eisen is invited to speak at the plenary session.
* Coleen Rowley – FBI whistleblower who detailed intelligence breakdowns in relation to the 9/11 attacks, and Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” in 2002. Rowley will participate in a luncheon panel on National Security issues at 2 p.m. on Monday, May 24.
* Daniel Ellsberg – The patriarch of modern whistleblowing, his disclosures (the Pentagon Papers) as a Rand Corporation/DoD analyst exposed deceit and concealment involving the government’s handling of the Vietnam War. Ellsberg will provide the closing remarks of the conference at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 25.
* Key officials from federal agencies related to whistleblowing – including the Merit Systems Protection Board, Administrative Review Board, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration – will be available at a “Meet the New Appointments” session from at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 24.

For a full list of participants and a working schedule of events, please click here.

Members of the media are encouraged to reserve their spot at the conference by contacting GAP Communications Director Dylan Blaylock. For more information regarding any aspect of the conference, please email GAP’s Becky Jones or call 202.457.0034, ext. 127.

The National Whistleblower Assembly is open to the public and free of charge. The Capitol Visitors Center is located at E Capitol St NE & 1st St NE. The Stewart R. Mott House is located at 122 Maryland Ave NE.