Disappeared News: Did Hawaii Sen. Inouye put the secret hold on the whistleblower protection act? Help find out

Monday, January 24, 2011

Did Hawaii Sen. Inouye put the secret hold on the whistleblower protection act? Help find out

by Larry Geller

So far, 46 senators have confirmed that they were not the ones who secretly put the hold on the Whistleblower Protection Act.Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye has not responded. Could he be the one? Help find out. WNYC’s On the Media program has been asking listeners to contact their senators to find out, and

On December 22nd, in the face of seemingly unanimous bipartisan support, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (Bill S.372) was killed at the last minute when a mystery Senator placed what’s called an anonymous hold on the bill. This bill had already been passed by the Senate earlier in December and by the House earlier that same day, but in the final vote on the reconciled bill, which is designed to protect government workers from being punished – as they usually are – for exposing illegality, waste and corruption – it was shut down by a lone anonymous hold.

On the Media, in conjunction with the Government Accountability Project, would like to, well, hold our government accountable.

WNYC has posted some suggestions for contacting senators: Tips For Tracking Down Anonymous Holds. And here’s what to do after you make your call or send your email:

We’re asking our listeners to call, write, email their Senators and ask them “did you kill this bill?” However they answer, email us at blowthewhistle@wnyc.org and we will post information as we receive it on the website. Please be sure to ask for the name of the person that you spoke to. Hopefully we can blow the whistle on the Senator that would refuse protections to government whistleblowers.

Here’s the contact information for Sen. Inouye:

Washington, D.C. Office:

722 Hart Senate Office Building,
District of Columbia 20510-1102
Phone: (202) 224-3934
Fax: (202) 224-6747

Honolulu Office: (more district offices)

300 Ala Moana Boulevard, #7-212
Honolulu, Hawaii 96850
Phone: (808) 541-2542
Fax: (808) 541-2549

Emails go through his web form here.

You can help find out if Sen. Inouye was the one who put the secret hold on the Whistleblower Protection Act. If enough of us ask, he may respond. If he doesn’t, that means something too.