WASHINGTON — The FBI relies on informants to fight crime, but when it comes to in-house wrongdoing, the law enforcement agency too often punishes its own whistleblowers.

Legislation approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee aims to fix that. A committee report issued last week outlines how an agency charged with capturing the bad guys can take action against employees who expose bad deeds within the organization.

‘‘Whistleblowers play a critical role in keeping our government efficient and honest, yet they also risk retaliation from their employers, sometimes being demoted, reassigned, or fired as a result of their actions,’’ says the report issued in support of the FBI Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act.

The legislation seeks to expand reporting opportunities for whistleblowers, improve what the committee calls ‘‘the lengthy and opaque adjudication process,’’ and strengthen protection for employees who expose agency waste, fraud, and abuse. They need protection from managers seeking revenge.

The uninitiated can be excused if they think managers always welcome those disclosures. While government officials talk a good game about combating waste, fraud, and abuse, stories about management reprisals against those who report internal wrongdoing abound.

The situation at the FBI is compounded because its limited list of appropriate and protected places for employees to report issues includes the attorney general but not their own supervisors.

‘‘This has left protections for FBI whistleblowers inferior to those of other executive branch employees,’’ the report said. The legislation would correct that.

The report says FBI Director James Comey, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and the Department of Justice inspector general have ‘‘endorsed providing protections for employees who report wrongdoing.’’

Washington Post