• AML
  • Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • FAQS
Demand Protections for Artificial Intelligence Whistleblowers | Take Action!
Subscribe
Donate
Get Help
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
The Truth at Any Cost.
Qui Tam, Compliance and Anti-Corruption News.
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home Legislation

Lawmakers take up bills to protect whistleblowers who expose financial and wildlife crimes

September 24, 2019
in Legislation, News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Key Whistleblower Protections Cut from Tax Reform Law, Criminal Fraudsters Protected
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

Not all the recent whistleblower news from Capitol Hill involves the president and the Ukraine. The House last week passed a bill that would add a whistleblower protection provision to rules governing a national accounting oversight board. And on Monday, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), introduced a bill that advocates say will protect whistleblowers who report financial crimes internally before going to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

That bill would address the impact of last year’s Supreme Court decision in Digital Realty Trust Inc. v. Somers. The ruling limited protected whistleblowing to disclosures to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), leaving those who report internaly vulnerable, according to Stephen Kohn, chair of the National Whistleblower Center. 

“It ensures that SEC claims can be timely decided and that employees who report violations to their employers cannot be fired,” according to a statement from Kohn. “For years the NWC has strongly supported the right of employees to engage in internal reporting. We urged the Supreme Court to protect these rights. Unfortunately, the Court listened to the Chamber of Commerce. We need Congress to fix this gaping loophole in corporate whistleblower protections.”

Register for National Whistleblower Day Register for National Whistleblower Day Register for National Whistleblower Day

its largest whistleblower award

The bill would also add a provision to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) anti-retaliation law limiting the use of non-disclosure agreements.The agreements are a common tactic used to silence whistleblowers, according to the National Whistleblower Center.

Compliance Week offers a full report on the September 19 debate over a bill creating a whistleblower program for the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Like other whistleblower programs, this one includes rewards and protection for those who come forward with information about wrongdoing.

The PCAOB, according to the panel’s website, “oversees the audits of public companies and SEC-registered brokers and dealers in order to protect investors and further the public interest in the preparation of informative, accurate, and independent audit reports.”

But, according to a recent investigation by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), it’s ineffective. One of the recommendations in the POGO report: “Whistleblowers could help make enforcement of the audit firm industry easier and more effective.”

The Compliance Week story notes that the US Chamber of Commerce opposed the changes as redundant.

Rep. William Huizenga (R-Mich.) is quoted in the story asking that supporters “explain why they believe that auditors, who play such a critical gatekeeping function in our capital markets, should be potentially offered the prospect of monetary bounties at the expense of disrupting the effective functioning of the audit process as it is today.”

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) that said because of the board’s mission to protect investors and ensure the accuracy of audits, “it is vital that PCAOB whistleblowers are incentivized to come forward and are protected from employer retaliation.”

Up next: The RAWR Act is at the top of a list of bills the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to consider on Wednesday. It would add wildlife trafficking to the State Department’s definition of organized crime. In addition, it would rewards of up to $25 million to whistleblowers. One goal — expand the global reach of wildlife whistleblower programs.

Tags: SEC
Previous Post

Will whistleblower battle lead to a crisis of confidence in the intelligence community?

Next Post

Like this week’s news, upcoming film festival highlights links between whistleblowers and journalists

Next Post
Like this week’s news, upcoming film festival highlights links between whistleblowers and journalists

Like this week's news, upcoming film festival highlights links between whistleblowers and journalists

Please login to join discussion

Receive Daily Alerts

Subscribe to receive daily breaking news and legislative developments sent to your inbox.

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

Most Popular

Supreme Court Upholds, For Now, Trump Firing of MSPB Chair

Whistleblower Suit Leads to $3.3 Million Stark Law Settlement

Paper Outlines Founding Father’s Warnings As Trump Goes After Key Whistleblower Appointees

Whistleblower Receives $5 Million for Exposing California Health System’s Alleged Kickback Scheme

Senator Grassley Questions IRS Nominee on Support for Whistleblower Program

Whistleblower Attorney Stresses Importance for Companies to Instill Strong Internal Reporting Mechanisms

Whistleblower Poll

Whistleblower Poll
Whistleblower Poll

Exclusive Marist Poll: Overwhelming Public Support Among Likely Voters For Increased Whistleblower Protections

byGeoff Schweller
October 6, 2020

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

STAY INFORMED.
Subscribe to receive breaking whistleblower updates.

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

About Us

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Careers

Subscribe

  • Daily Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • YouTube Channel

Contribute

  • Letter to the Editor
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Reprint Guidelines

Your Experience

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Help

  • Rules for Whistleblowers
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Advertise
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

Copyright © 2025, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

This Newspaper/Web Site is made available by the 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.

Become a Whistleblower Network News Subscriber

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Subscribe to WNN

Retrieve your password

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

Subscribe to WNN
RSVP to National Whistleblower Day 2025! July 30, 2025 on Capitol Hill
RSVP NOW

Add New Playlist

Demand Protections for Artificial Intelligence Whistleblowers

Take Action!
No Result
View All Result
  • Exclusives
  • Government
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Federal Employees
    • Intelligence
  • Corporate
    • CFTC & Commodities
    • Dodd-Frank
    • IRS & Tax
    • SEC & Securities
  • Features
  • Legislation
  • International
    • Foreign Corruption
  • Rewards
  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Environment & Climate
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Employment
    • Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers
    • Retaliation
    • OSHA
  • Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • National Whistleblower Day
  • Whistleblower Poll
  • Whistleblower Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Resources for Locating An Attorney
    • The New Whistleblowers Handbook

Copyright © 2024, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version