A petition calling for Congress to permanently designate July 30 as National Whistleblower Appreciation Day launched last week. The petition asks Congress to mandate that every executive agency recognizes National Whistleblower Day every year by promoting awareness about whistleblower rights to employees and acknowledging whistleblowers’ contributions to fighting fraud, corruption, and misconduct.
July 30 is the date of the first U.S. whistleblower law, passed by the Continental Congress in 1778. In 1777, “10 sailors and Marines blew the whistle on fraud and misconduct,” which led to the passage of the whistleblower law, according to the proposed legislation to formalize July 30 as National Whistleblower Appreciation Day.
The Senate passed a resolution designating July 30 as National Whistleblower Appreciation Day earlier this month. This year marks the eighth consecutive year that the Senate has recognized the special day. The bipartisan resolution was led by Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) and cosponsored by seventeen other senators.
The first National Whistleblower Day celebration took place in 2015 on Capitol Hill. The National Whistleblower Center host this annual event. The day aims to celebrate whistleblowers who often face harsh treatment and challenges in attempts to expose the truth for the greater good and promote education so that in the future, anyone can blow the whistle without fear of stigma or retaliation. This year the event will be held online due to COVID-19.
Click here to sign the petition and urge Congress to recognize July 30 as National Whistleblower Appreciation Day.
Read the proposed bill to establish July 30 as National Whistleblower Appreciation Day.
