Ensuring Protections for Intelligence Community Contractor Whistleblowers Act of 2017
This bill amends the National Security Act of 1947 to prohibit reprisals or discrimination against a intelligence community whistle-blower (including an employee, an applicant for employment, former employee, or contractor) who makes a protected disclosure to an agency Inspector General (IG) or certain other federal officials while carrying out a contract that contains a covered intelligence community element (i.e., the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the National Reconnaissance Office.) A "protected disclosure" means any lawful disclosure of information that an employee believes is evidence of a violation of federal law, gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.
A whistle-blower who has been subjected to a reprisal may submit a complaint to an agency IG, the Department of Defense IG, or the IG of the Intelligence Community. The appropriate IG must investigate the complaint and make a determination as to its validity.