Legislation to ensure protections for federal employees who disclose government waste, fraud, and abuse has been unanimously cleared by the House. The measure will provide for the training of federal workers so that they understand their protections. It will also enhance penalties for supervisors who retaliate against whistleblowers.
The bill orders the Veterans Administration to create a plan for preventing unauthorized access to employee medical records. It also orders it to conduct outreach to employees about mental health services. The bill was named for Charles Kirkpatrick, a psychologist who was fired from the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center after he raised concerns about patients’ medications. He committed suicide on the day he was fired. The legislation is now headed to President Trump’s desk for his signature.
Two noncontroversial bills were also passed by the House by voice vote to protect and to encourage whistleblowers. One measure would allow federal agencies to pay up to $20,000 in cash rewards to workers who report waste. The other measure would allow whistleblowers outside of the intelligence community to disclose classified information to supervisors in their chain of command.
If you have experienced retaliation by an employer by blowing the whistle on fraud or illegal activity, contact the Philadelphia whistleblower lawyers at Sidney L. Gold & Associates, P.C. right away. Call 215-569-1999 or complete our online form for a free consultation.
