Federal contractor whistleblower rights are set for a significant expansion after the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 (“2013 NDAA”) on December 21, 2013, which contains important whistleblower protection provisions.  The bill has now passed both Houses of Congress and is awaiting President Obama’s signature.  Encompassing approximately 12 million employees, federal contractors [...]

Whistleblowers within the federal intelligence community received outstanding news yesterday in the form of a Presidential Policy Directive (“PPD”) prohibiting retaliation against employees in the intelligence community.  The PPD specifically prohibited employers from retaliating against a member of the intelligence community by limiting or revoking the employee’s security clearance.  This directive is particularly important in [...]

Whistleblowers within the federal government took an important step forward on Friday when the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (“WPEA”).  As the Government Accountability Project (“GAP”) reports, the bill will provide a number of significant benefits to federal employee whistleblowers.  Among other things, the bill: closes loopholes removing employee protections [...]

Almost exactly thirteen months after its introduction into the Senate, S. 743, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 (“WPEA”), passed the Senate by unanimous consent on May 8, 2012.  The bill would significantly expand the scope of whistleblower protections for federal employees, and, if its companion bill passes the House, will help to give [...]

In a press release yesterday, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced its fiscal year 2013 budget request.  Although the Department actually lowered the amount it requested from last year – it sought $12.6 billion for 2012 compared to $12 billion for 2013 – it nevertheless recognized the importance of its whistleblower protection programs, and asked [...]

Yesterday, the First Circuit issued an important opinion which clarifies the requirements for a whistleblower to state a prima facie case of retaliation under the FCA anti-retaliation provision.  In Harrington v. Aggregate Industries-Northeast Region, Inc., No. 11-1511 (1st Cir. Feb. 7, 2012), the First Circuit reversed the district court’s grant of summary judgment to defendant [...]

On September 12, 2011, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued a favorable holding in the case of Myers v. Alutiiq International Solutions, LLC, et al. Plaintiff Jonathon Myers was hired in 2003 under a State Department contract held by Anteon and General Dynamics.  In 2005, he was promoted to the [...]

The Project on Government Oversight (“POGO”) published an article last week that offered a detailed look at the way the United States military has handled whistleblower claims.  The article, entitled “Pentagon Watchdogs Rarely Side With Military Whistleblowers,” described the historically poor results of the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) of the Department of Defense (“DOD”), [...]

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that a Louisiana district court erred in granting a credit union’s motion for summary judgment against a terminated employee in the case of Schroeder v. Greater New Orleans Federal Credit Union, et al. (“GNOFCU”).  The court found that “evidence and testimony presented could have allowed a reasonable jury [...]

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued a press release last week urging the public to blow the whistle on companies that engage in business practices that violate federal consumer-protection laws.  Rich Cordway, Assistant Director of Enforcement for the CFPB, explained that the CFPB was “providing whistleblowers and other knowledgeable sources with a direct line [...]