Agency Leaders and Whistleblower Advocates Push for Advanced Protections for Federal Whistleblowers at Congressional Hearing
On Tuesday, a bipartisan panel of agency leaders and whistleblower advocates testified in front of the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Government Operations to discuss the importance of protecting federal whistleblowers.
Whistleblower attorney David K. Colapinto, who is a partner at whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, and serves as general counsel to the National Whistleblower Center (NWC), joined the panel to discuss the need for strong reforms to the laws governing federal whistleblowers.
The hearing, Protecting Those Who Blow the Whistle on Government Wrongdoing, examined the current state of whistleblower protections in the federal workplace.
In his opening statement, Colapinto outlined three major reforms needed;
“For effective anti-retaliation protections to work, there must be 1. A safe channel for employees to report wrongdoing confidentially, 2. Strong legal remedies to address whistleblower retaliation whenever it occurs, 3. A workforce culture that supports whistleblowers and encourages them to report serious wrongdoing.”
Along with his written testimony, Colapinto and the National Whistleblower Center provided a report that supports the need for federal employee whistleblowers to have their retaliation claims heard in U.S. District Court.
In his written testimony, Colapinto made recommendations of Congressional fixes to strengthen existing whistleblower protections for federal whistleblowers.
Watch the full hearing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=ce467zMe5qA&feature=emb_logo
Read Mr. Colapinto’s full testimony: “Hearing on the Importance of Federal Whistleblowers”
Read the National Whistleblower Center report: SPECIAL REPORT ON PERMITTING FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO THEIR WHISTLEBLOWER CASES HEARD IN U.S. DISTRICT COURTS
