Whereas, in 1777, before the passage of the Bill of Rights, 10 sailors and marines blew the whistle on misconduct that was harmful to the United States; Whereas the Continental Congress unanimously supported the whistleblowers in words and deeds, including by releasing Government records and authorizing payment for legal expenses incurred by the whistleblowers incurred in defending against a retaliatory criminal libel lawsuit brought against them; Whereas, on July 30, 1778, in demonstration of their full support for whistleblowers, the Members of the Continental Congress unanimously enacted the first whistleblower legislation in the United States that read: Resolved, That it is the duty of all persons in the service of the United States, as well as all other the inhabitants thereof, to give the earliest information to Congress or other proper authority of any misconduct, frauds or misdemeanors committed by any officers or persons in the service of these states, which may come to their knowledge ; Whereas whistleblowers risk their careers, jobs, and reputations by reporting waste, fraud, and abuse to the proper authorities; Whereas in providing the proper authorities with lawful disclosures, whistleblowers save the taxpayers of the United States billions of dollars each year and serve the public interest by ensuring that the United States remains an ethical and safe place; and Whereas it is the public policy of the United States to encourage, in accordance with Federal law (including the Constitution of the United States, rules, and regulations) and consistent with the protection of classified information (including sources and methods of detection of classified information), honest and good faith reporting of misconduct, fraud, misdemeanors, and other crimes to the appropriate authority at the earliest time possible: Now, therefore, be it