Law 360: Lawmakers Urged to Up Contractor Whistleblower Protections
This article features Government Accountability Project’s Legal Director, Tom Devine, and was originally published here.
In this Law 360 article, Government Accountability Project’s Legal Director, Tom Devine, discussed the importance of whistleblower protections for government contractors. These new protections would include access to jury trials and protections against industry blacklisting amidst a surge in federal spending under S. 1524, The Expanding Whistleblower Protections Act.
Tom Devine declined to name any companies behind the alleged pressures but did confirm Government Accountability Project received reports that “almost all of the major defense and health care contractors have been found guilty of False Claims Act violations” in the past.
This legislation is particularly important, as contractor whistleblower laws lack protections for reporting misconduct outside the U.S., as well as protections against certain types of retaliation, such as for refusing to violate laws.
Current laws also do not protect against “blocklisting” efforts to effectively bar whistleblowers from future employment opportunities, nor do they protect honest contractors that report government bullying or competitor misconduct.
When discussing the importance of the bill, Devine pointed out the current laws do not “protect contractors that report government bullying or spending.”