• ABOUT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • CAREERS
  • CONTACT
Sunday, January 17, 2021
Subscribe to Newsletter
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
  • Home
  • News
    • Corporate
    • Dodd-Frank
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Foreign Corruption
    • Government
    • Intelligence
    • IRS & Tax
    • Legislation
    • OSHA
    • Sarbanes-Oxley
    • SEC
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Whistleblower of the Week
Whistleblower Network News
  • Home
  • News
    • Corporate
    • Dodd-Frank
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Foreign Corruption
    • Government
    • Intelligence
    • IRS & Tax
    • Legislation
    • OSHA
    • Sarbanes-Oxley
    • SEC
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Whistleblower of the Week
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Opinion: It’s Time for Congress to Strengthen Protections for Whistleblowers Who Expose Corporate Fraud

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of the Whistleblower Network News.

John KostyackbyJohn Kostyack
October 7, 2020
in Legislation, Opinion, Whistleblower Poll
Reading Time: 4min read
0
Corporate fraud whistleblower
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

A Marist poll released yesterday shows that the American public considers corporate fraud a national priority and wants to help whistleblowers who expose it. When asked if passing stronger laws that protect employees who report corporate fraud should be a priority for Congress, 81 percent of likely voters agreed, with 27 percent stating that it should be an immediate priority.

This poll, conducted on behalf of the Whistleblower Network News, should provide Congress with all the encouragement it needs to act on pending whistleblower bills addressing private sector corruption, such as those dealing with securities and commodities fraud, money laundering, and the trade in endangered wildlife and illegal timber and seafood.

RelatedPosts

Opinion: 2020 New Year’s Resolution: Promises Made, Promises Kept

Opinion: To Ensure a Transparent Government Biden and Congress Must Prioritize MSPB Appointments

New Rule Prohibits House Members from Disclosing Identity of Whistleblowers

Load More

This year will be remembered for its global public health and economic crises, with the deadly Covid-19 coronavirus spreading around the world, megafires burning large portions of Australia and the western U.S., and heatwaves melting permafrost in the Siberian Arctic. In the U.S., positive federal action on climate change remained elusive, but agreement on massive government spending to address Covid-19 was reached in Congress early in the year. Unfortunately, the rapid pace and volume of federal spending created new opportunities for misconduct, and these opportunities were seized by certain corporate actors with special access to the executive branch. Here are just two examples:

Protect Yourself: Purchase the New Whistleblower Handbook Protect Yourself: Purchase the New Whistleblower Handbook Protect Yourself: Purchase the New Whistleblower Handbook
  • In May 2020, the New York Times found that some of the nation’s largest companies had received Paycheck Protection Program funds that Congress had intended for small businesses struggling due to Covid-19. Many of these companies were simultaneously approving multi-million-dollar pay packages for top executives. Amanda Ballantyne, leader of Main Street Alliance, an advocacy group for small businesses, succinctly described this abuse of power as “outrageous.”
  • A report issued last week by Friends of the Earth, Public Citizen, and Bailout Watch reveals that many fossil fuel companies, grappling with a decade of losses, have found a new lifeline with a federal Covid-19 relief program called the Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facility. Although this program was intended for viable companies and not those on the brink of insolvency, these failing fossil fuel companies are now securing billions in debt financing, insulating themselves from market forces, and slowing the transition to a clean energy economy.

Whistleblowers are already playing an essential role in exposing this kind of misconduct, but more could be done with stronger policy. In our July 2020 report, Exposing a Ticking Time Bomb, the National Whistleblower Center identified a variety of policy improvements needed to ensure that regulators and prosecutors work in partnership with whistleblowers to address the high risk of fraud in the fossil fuel industry.

Building a comprehensive legal framework for regulators, prosecutors, and whistleblowers to collaborate around corruption-fighting will take years, but fortunately, there are opportunities in the very near term to make meaningful progress toward that goal. In the U.S., there is still time in the current Congressional session to strengthen the Dodd-Frank Act, the law that protects and rewards whistleblowers who expose and help prosecute securities and commodities fraud.  

A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling known as Digital Realty mistakenly interpreted Dodd-Frank as offering no protection to “internal whistleblowers,” i.e., those who report frauds to the SEC after first attempting to resolve the problem within their companies. Fortunately, the House of Representatives passed a bill to reverse this ruling last year, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is leading efforts in the Senate to pass a companion bill this year. Known as the Whistleblower Programs Improvement Act (S. 2529), this bill would restore protection to internal whistleblowers and also expedite rewards to those whistleblowers who help bring about successful prosecutions. The National Whistleblower Center calls on its supporters to contact their Senators and urge them to pass this critical whistleblower bill during the final months of this Congressional session.

Tags: Marist PollWhistleblower LegislationWhistleblower Protection
Previous Post

Top Whistleblower Lawyer Explains Results Of New Whistleblower Poll In The National Law Review

Next Post

Moldova’s Ombudsman Fights for the Rights of COVID Whistleblowers

John Kostyack

John Kostyack

John Kostyack is the Executive Director of the National Whistleblower Center. He is a nonprofit executive and attorney with a track record of successfully building and leading dynamic, mission-focused organizations. He has a passion for conserving wildlife and habitats, safeguarding people from the worst impacts of climate change, and fighting for democratic institutions and the rule of law. He is an accomplished public speaker, writer, and thought leader on using law, policy, communications, and organizing to make the world a better place for our children and grandchildren.

Next Post
Moldova’s Ombudsman Fights for the Rights of COVID Whistleblowers

Moldova’s Ombudsman Fights for the Rights of COVID Whistleblowers

Write a Letter to The Editor.

Most Popular

Deutsche Bank to Pay over $130 Million to Settle FCPA Charges

1 week ago

Kim Farrington

6 days ago

Smart Home Tech Company Settles FIRREA Whistleblower Case With DOJ For $3.2 Million

4 days ago

President-elect Biden Nominates William J. Burns as Head of CIA

6 days ago

Taiwan Substantially Increases Awards for Financial Whistleblowers

5 days ago

Whistleblower to Receive $480,000 in Settlement, Lawyer Explains the Case

5 days ago

Whistleblower Poll

Increased Whistleblower Protections
Legislation

Candidate’s Position on Increased Whistleblower Protections Influences 44% of Likely Voters

byAna Popovich
October 6, 2020
0

Protect Yourself: Buy the New Whistleblower Handbook Protect Yourself: Buy the New Whistleblower Handbook Protect Yourself: Buy the New Whistleblower Handbook

STAY INFORMED. Sign up for daily whistleblower email and social notifications from the Whistleblower Network News.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Qui Tam

  • Dodd-Frank
  • IRS & Tax
  • SEC
  • Foreign Corruption
  • False Claims-Qui Tam

Retaliation

  • OSHA
  • Sarbanes-Oxley

Government

  • Government
  • Intelligence
  • Legislation
  • Veterans

Features

  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Editorial
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Opinion

Resources

  • FAQs
  • National Whistleblower Day
  • National Whistleblower Center
  • Whistleblower Handbook
Whistleblower Network News

Whistleblower Network News is an independent online newspaper providing our readers with up-to-date information on whistleblowing. Our goal is to be the best source of information on important qui tam, anti-corruption, compliance, and whistleblower law developments. 

Submit an Article
  • ABOUT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • CAREERS
  • CONTACT

Copyright © 2020, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

This Newspaper/Web Site is made available by the lawyer or law firm publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Newspaper/Web Site publisher. The Newspaper/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Corporate
    • Dodd-Frank
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Foreign Corruption
    • Government
    • Intelligence
    • IRS & Tax
    • Legislation
    • OSHA
    • Sarbanes-Oxley
    • SEC
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Login

Copyright © 2020, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Facebook
Sign In with Google
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Sign Up with Facebook
Sign Up with Google
OR

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Go to mobile version