What did the Whistleblower Protection Act establish?

• A. A tax on agencies for whistleblowing activities
• B. Mandatory publication of whistleblower statistics
• C. A requirement that agencies protect whistleblowers from retaliation
• D. A law passed in 1989 which created an Office of Special Counsel to investigate complaints from bureaucrats who report waste, fraud, or abuse in their agencies

Answer: (D)

The main idea is to shield federal employees who report waste, fraud, or abuse by creating a formal mechanism to handle those disclosures. The Whistleblower Protection Act centers on establishing an Office of Special Counsel to receive and investigate complaints from government workers who speak up about misconduct, and to ensure protections against retaliation. This gives whistleblowers a trusted, independent avenue to pursue their concerns and seek relief if they face retaliation. The other ideas miss the defining feature: a formal, agency-wide mechanism to protect and process whistleblower disclosures through the Office of Special Counsel, rather than focusing on taxes, publishing statistics, or only general protections.