On January 18, leading whistleblower attorney Stephen M. Kohn of Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto appeared on Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss the seven whistleblower reforms that are most urgently needed in 2024. Kohn previously outlined the reforms in an article for the National Law Review.
“All seven of these reforms have strong bipartisan support,” Kohn says. “Furthermore, as we’ve pointed out many times, objective and high quality public opinion polling, including the Marist poll, have shown that 80% of the American people support more whistleblower protections. And 1 in 4 likely voters say that a candidate’s position on whistleblowing could impact their decision on whether to support that candidate. So we’re dealing with a situation in which you have seven pending whistleblower reforms, all with strong bipartisan support, strong public support. Yet, all of them are stalled either within an executive agency, which is ignoring the problem, or within Congress that is busy debating whatever they’re debating as opposed to getting a job done.”
He and Temin proceed to discuss each of the seven reforms in turn. Among the reforms called for by Kohn are a number of bipartisan bills pending in Congress, including the SEC Whistleblower Reform Act, the CFTC Whistleblower Fund Improvement Act, and the IRS Whistleblower Improvement Act, all of which make necessary improvements to key whistleblower award programs. Kohn also explains why the Treasury Department and SEC need to ensure that their whistleblower regulations are consistent with the U.S. Anti-Corruption Strategy.
National Whistleblower Center (NWC), where Kohn serves as Chairman of the Board, has launched campaigns pushing for immediate action on all seven reforms. Whistleblower supporters can send letters to Congress and federal agencies urging for them to act.
Listen to the Full Interview:
What whistleblowers will need from Congress in 2024
Join NWC in Taking Action:
NWC’s Seven Major Campaigns of 2024
Further Reading:
Leading Whistleblower Attorney Outlines 7 Key Whistleblower Reforms Needed in 2024