The National Whistleblower Center has just launched a campaign to demand the Department of Transportation protect whistleblowers effectively. Under part V of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) the Transportation Department now has the responsibility to protect whistleblowers who report violations of motor vehicle safety laws.
The NWC’s Action Alert is linked here.
This legislation has the potential to save countless lives by getting information about unsafe cars, and other vehicles, into the hands of law enforcement authorities before they go out on the road.
As part of the law, the Department of Transportation was given 18 months to approve final rules governing their Whistleblower program. The Department has not taken any action to implement these rules or protect whistleblowers. We can make the law work through this rulemaking process. We must make sure that the Department does not succumb to industry pressure and undercut the protections the law now requires.
The National Whistleblower Center’s Executive Director Stephen M. Kohn issued the following statement on the law,
“The auto safety whistleblower law has the potential to save countless lives. By protecting whistleblowers we can gain advance warning about unsafe cars, and prevent them from going out on the road before they cost lives. The Department of Transportation needs to ensure that whistleblowers are protected and rewarded, and that their safety reports are properly investigated. Congress required the Department to implement formal rules establishing their whistleblower program. However, no such rules have been published or approved. To fill this void, the National Whistleblower Center has submitted a detailed proposed rule, modeled on the highly successful SEC program, and has demanded that the Department immediately implement these rules. It is imperative that the American people TAKE ACTION and demand that their government does its job and protect its citizens from clearly preventable auto safety hazards.”
Links:
NWC Campaign Page – Auto Safety
NWC Letter to Secretary of Transportation
NWC Proposed Auto Safety Whistleblower Rules
Copy of the Auto Safety Whistleblower Law (Whistleblower Section starts on Page 405)
