Senator McCaskill’s bill, S.795 “A Bill to Enhance Whistleblower Protection for Contractor and Grantee Employees,” is on President Obama’s desk for signature.  According to the Senate Report, the bill would make permanent the current pilot program, expiring this month, that ensures that employees of civilian contractors are protected from retaliation, namely that “anyone who reports the misuse of federal funds could not be demoted, discharged, or discriminated against because of the disclosure.”

While the pilot program has been in place for several years, the frequency of whistleblower reprisal actions has increased recently.  Whistleblower protections have also been the subject of recent Congressional interest, and the Government Accountability Office is auditing the current pilot program.  Rather than wait for the results of the audit, however, Congress chose to push forward with the current legislation (which has received bipartisan support) in the waning days of the Obama Administration.  Should the bill become law, contractors and grantees might take the opportunity to reexamine their compliance with the pilot program, as well as review how whistleblowers are treated and how their allegations are investigated and documented in order to mitigate the risk of liability in face of rising pressure to sustain allegations.

Whistleblowers (and those who might claim that status following a negative employment action) have many methods of seeking government help to address their concerns, including qui tam lawsuits, wrongful termination litigation, and whistleblower reprisal allegations brought before various government agencies.  Each of these actions invites the government into a contractor or grantee’s operations, as well as records, and increases pressure on the company.
Continue Reading Enhancing Whistleblower Protections for Contractor Employees (Permanently?)