AG Schwalb, AG Bonta, and AG James co-led a coalition of 15 attorneys general in opposing the United States Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) proposed government-wide Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that would silence federal civil servants. The proposed NDA would have a chilling effect on federal employees by broadly defining what constitutes protected non-public information; threatening to remove, debar, or criminally penalize civil servants for non-compliance with the NDA; threatening to remove or debar employees from federal service for not signing the NDA.

“Let’s be clear: this proposal appears less about protecting sensitive information and more about silencing federal employees who help ensure government accountability. Civil servants should be able to exercise their First Amendment right to speak up about matters of public concern. The federal government already has tools to protect sensitive information. It does not need a broadly-worded NDA and penalties that place barriers between the American people and the transparency they deserve." -AG Bonta