WASHINGTON, D.C. | September 7, 2021 — On Labor Day 2021, the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) announced its official Ethics Agenda, identifying critically-needed pieces of legislation that have been forgotten, stalled in Congress, or stonewalled by special interests. NWC Board Chair Stephen Kohn outlined NWC’s Ethics Agenda in his op-ed published on The Hill on Labor Day 2021, issuing a call to action to safeguard our institutions and values by protecting whistleblowers.
NWC’s Ethics Agenda lays out nine core legislative initiatives – crucial to an effective whistleblower protection framework. NWC’s Ethics Agenda is accompanied by a call to action: send a Million Messages to Congress to show the significance of these initiatives and the overwhelming support for whistleblower protections shared by the American people.
The nine needed legislative actions are to:
Confirm Members to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).
Fix the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Act.
Defend COVID-19 Whistleblowers.
Fund the Commodity Whistleblower Program.
Stop the” Repeal by Delay” of the IRS Whistleblower Program.
Pass the False Claims Act Reforms.
Enact Whistleblower Protection for Climate Change and Wildlife Trafficking.
Protect Electric Grid Whistleblowers.
Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent.
Stephen M. Kohn, NWC Board Chair and co-founder, said in his Labor Day 2021 op-ed on The Hill, “There is no justification for Congress’ failure to act on these whistleblower laws. The Marist Poll found that over 85 percent of the American people wanted stronger protections for whistleblowers, with overwhelming support from both Democrat and Republican voters. In the same poll 81 percent of ‘likely voters’ wanted increased whistleblower protections to be a ‘priority’ in Congress, with over one in four likely voters demanding increased protections as an ‘immediate priority.’ The American people, in a unified and bipartisan manner, want stronger whistleblower laws. Congress needs to act now.”
NWC’s Ethics Agenda provides a clear framework for Congressional action and NWC’s members will be taking action throughout the year to make sure Congress sees the value of these protections.
For more information, please contact Nick Younger at nick.younger@whistleblowers.org.
