William Lawrence Sr Omnbit 7-19-14
Day: July 19, 2014
Act 88 Gives Whistleblowers Greater Protection
House Bill 185 has been signed into law and is now Act 88 of 2014, according to State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).
The legislation adds legislative employees to the list of workers protected from retaliation under existing whistleblower protection statutes.
Although the Whistleblower Law (Act 169 of 1986) prohibits a public body from discharging or retaliating against an employee if an employee makes a good faith report about waste or wrongdoing, the law did not explicitly include the staff of the General Assembly. The new extends those protections specifically to this group.
The law also prohibits a public body from retaliating against an employee if such employee is requested by an appropriate authority to participate in an investigation, hearing or inquiry.
The intention of the law is not only uniformity but encouragement of transparency and accountability among elected officials and our legislative body.
Members of the public, as well as government employees, are encouraged to report suspected fraud, waste, misconduct or abuse of government programs, operations or contracts. You can do so by visiting the Office of Inspector General’s website or calling 877-888-7927 for employee misconduct or 800-932-0582 for welfare fraud.
