WASHINGTON – The Senate tonight unanimously passed legislation to extend whistleblower protections for employees who provide information to their employer or the Department of Justice regarding criminal antitrust violations. The Criminal Antitrust Anti-retaliation Act was introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy.
“Violators of antitrust laws put businesses and our economic wellbeing at risk, so whistleblowers who call attention to violators should be praised, not punished. Unfortunately, these folks often face retribution at work for their efforts to correct misconduct. The Criminal Antitrust Anti-retaliation Act protects these individuals from workplace retaliation and abuse. It may also serve as a deterrent of future misconduct. I’m grateful for the work of my colleagues to move this bill forward and urge my colleagues in the House of Representative to take action to shield these whistleblowers from reprisal,” Grassley said.
“I applaud the Senate for passing bipartisan legislation that will protect employees who blow the whistle on criminal antitrust violations. Whistleblowers play an important role in alerting the public, Congress, and law enforcement agencies to wrongdoing in a number of areas. By protecting those who would blow the whistle on criminal antitrust behavior, our bill will help facilitate the reporting of violations that ultimately affect consumers. I urge the House to pass this bipartisan legislation,” Leahy said.
The Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act establishes protections for whistleblowers who assist in criminal antitrust cases by prohibiting employers from retaliating against an employee who provides information to the employer or the Justice Department regarding conduct that violates the criminal antitrust laws. The bill allows an employee who believes he or she is the victim of retaliation to file a complaint with the Secretary of Labor, and provides for that employee to be reinstated to their former status if the Secretary finds in their favor. Grassley and Leahy authored similar whistleblower statutes as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002.
The Senate unanimously passed a similar version of the legislation last Congress. The legislation is based on recommendations from a Government Accountability Office report released in July 2011. The Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.
-30-