Qui Tam 101

House Committee Passes Whistleblower Bill Which Effectively Offers a Safety Net for Qui Tam Relators who were Retaliated Against

The House Government Reform Committee earlier this month passed a bill intended to strengthen and extend federal employees’ rights when disclosing agency misdeeds.

It is called the Whistleblower Protection Act of 2007 and was introduced by Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Ranking member Tom Davis, R-Va., along with Reps. Todd Platts, R-Pa., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. Although the law would only shield federal employees disclosing “any” waste, fraud or abuse from retribution, it extends the WPA protection to contractors. With so many qui tam whistleblowers coming from the government contractor ranks, this adds a second level of protection, particularly in federal circuits that have greatly limited the scope of 3730h.

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