Orlando, Florida (CNN) Speaking to a libertarian-leaning audience Sunday about ex-contractor Edward Snowden, Sen. Rand Paul said hes thinking about ways to "expand the whistleblower statute to government contractors."

Weve got so many millions of government contractors that when they see something wrong, they should be able to report it without repercussions, he said in a live video appearance to a Florida conference hosted by the Campaign for Liberty.

The libertarian-leaning senator from Kentucky, whos repeatedly said he has mixed emotions on the issue, has taken some heat from some in the libertarian base. While he thinks Snowdens efforts did a service to the country by disclosing the depth of data collection programs by the National Security Agency, Paul still believes Snowden broke the law and has said he deserves a few years in prison.

Many libertarians, however, consider Snowden a hero. In fact, his father, former Rep. Ron Paul, praised the ex-contractor Friday night in a speech at the same Florida conference.

I think we should praise our whistleblowers, Ron Paul said to applause, adding people like Edward Snowden should be rewarded.

While its not new that Ron Paul has been more supportive of Snowden than his son, Rand Pauls consideration of expanding protections for whistleblowers is an approach that would appeal to those in the libertarian base.

Paul, who's mulling a presidential bid, said he still believes there needs to be some state secrets, but there also needs to be a whistleblower program for people to have a venue.

Snowden faces felony charges of espionage and theft of government property in the United States, and he has said he won't return until the U.S. changes its whistleblower protection laws.

Snowden said last month that hes not protected under the 2012 Whistleblower Protection Enhancement, nor by an executive directive made by President Barack Obama two years ago that reformed whistleblower legislation but exempted intelligence community contractors.

The Washington Post ran a fact-check on Snowdens claims and found the Presidents directive, which has been open to interpretation, appears to offer some protections to contractors but those provisions lack clarity, especially on the topic of retaliation.

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Rand Paul considering expanded whistleblower laws for contractors