Washington, D.C. June 30, 2016. The bipartisan Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus cosponsored a resolution on Thursday designating July 30, 2016 as National Whistleblower Appreciation Day. This resolution was introduced in order to recognize the crucial role whistleblowers play in exposing fraud and wrongdoing, and to encourage federal agencies to acknowledge the legal rights of whistleblowers.
Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, made the following statement regarding the resolution:
“Workers who come forward to report fraud or misconduct in their agencies are frequently punished by their superiors for simply telling the truth. These brave citizens should not be penalized, they should be praised. They save taxpayers billions of dollars each year, and they help to bring about a government more accountable to the people.”
The idea for National Whistleblower Day was first sparked by the re-discovery of America’s first whistleblower law, enacted on July 30, 1778. The rediscovery was based on original historical research published in The Whistleblower’s Handbook, written by Stephen M. Kohn, Executive Director of the National Whistleblower Center.
“National Whistleblower Appreciation Day commemorates America’s first whistleblower law. At the height of the Revolution, our Founding Fathers recognized the importance of whistleblowers in a democratic society. Senators Grassley has played a key role in bringing together a truly bi-partisan group of Senators to stand behind whistleblowers and celebrate their history and contributions. We hope that the Senate Whistleblower Caucus will play a vital role in defending the False Claims Act and similar, highly effective whistleblower laws, and working toward a day when whistleblowers are thanked for their courage, not fired, blacklisted or worse,” said Kohn.
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