The House Rules Committee approved amendments for consideration during the floor debate on the stimulus bill (H.R. 1). There are a couple which would be important to enact. They are:

Amndt. 22 (Platts/Van Hollen): Would insert the text of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (H.R. 985 in the 110th Congress) regarding protections for federal employees who report waste, fraud, and abuse.

Amndt. 89 (Teague): Would require that the Recovery.gov website contain links and other information on how to access job information created at or by entities receiving funding under the bill; including links to local employment agencies, state, local, and other public agencies receiving recovery funds, and private firms contracted to perform work funded by the bill.

The Whisteblower Protection Enhancement Act was introduced in the 110th Congress and would extend and enhance protection for whistleblowers reporting on national security, science, and contractor waste and fraud. The protections include contractors who are whistleblowers. The details are available here.

The Teague amendment gets at something that is often overlooked when discussing transparency and web sites like Recovery.gov. The site should not only serve as a place for openness and accountability regarding the programs and projects authorized in the stimulus bill, but should also aim to serve the public that the programs and projects intend to aid. The requirement in the Teague amendment would provide an immediate service of helping the job-seeking unemployed connect to jobs created by the bill. This can’t be overlooked as service provision, along with information dissemination, must be an important aspect of government web sites.