← Back to browse
HR 5578 Passed a chamber

Extends whistleblower protection from reprisal to employees and organizations working under Defense, NASA, and other federal contracts, including state, local, and tribal government contractors, and bars contracts and arbitration agreements from waiving those rights.

Official title: Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2026

Next stop Senate: awaiting action
Timeline each lane is a chamber; dates pull from congress.gov actions
House
Introduced 26-SEP-2025
Referred 26-SEP-2025
Approved by committee 02-DEC-2025
Passed 20-JUL-2026
Senate
Received 21-JUL-2026
Key points
  • Covers contractors, subcontractors, grantees, and their employees at the Department of Defense, NASA, and other federal agencies, including state, local, tribal, and territorial governments that hold such contracts.
  • Protects employees who refuse an order requiring them to break a contract-related law or rule, or who disclose gross mismanagement, gross waste, abuse of authority, legal violations, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.
  • Bars executive branch officials from asking a contractor to carry out a prohibited reprisal and allows disciplinary action to be proposed against officials who do so.
  • Makes these rights and remedies nonwaivable, including through predispute arbitration agreements.
AI-generated from the Placed on Calendar Senate text of 21-JUL-2026 · verify · report an error
Official CRS summary

Covers an older version. The newest CRS summary describes the bill as of "Introduced in House" (26-SEP-2025); the text has changed since (Engrossed in House, 20-JUL-2026).

CRS is the Library of Congress's nonpartisan research office. Read it on congress.gov
Committee referrals (2) Policy area

Government Operations and Politics

Sponsor Robert Garcia (D-CA) Cosponsors · 1
■ 1 R
1 Republican