Whistleblower Protection Bill Blocked in the Senate

4514 Cole Ave, #600 | Dallas, Texas 75205

Call Kardell Law Group 214-306-8045

A federal whistleblower protection bill introduced to the U.S. Senate by Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has been blocked by Minority Leader Harry Reid.

The Dr. Christopher Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2015 aims to provide greater protections to federal whistleblowers, including those working for the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is named after a psychologist who took his own life after being fired from a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tomah, Wisconsin. Dr. Kirkpatrick had reportedly raised concerns about the medications prescribed to patients, and he committed suicide shortly after his termination.

Sen. Johnson, who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, had sought unanimous consent for the measure in the full Senate, but Sen. Reid raised an objection. The bill will now be delayed until at least September.

Political gamesmanship

In a statement issued shortly after the delay, Sen. Johnson derided Sen. Reid, saying that the action was an affront to veterans. Reid, on the other hand, said that he delayed the measure simply because it was too narrowly focused. He says he would like to come up with a more comprehensive “package of bills” made up of compromises between Democrats and Republicans.

The protection of whistleblowers both in government and within private businesses and organizations has been the subject of a lot of focus in recent years. Whistleblowers today are more incentivized than ever to report wrongdoing within their organizations. For more information on how you can manage this pressing issue, contact a trusted Dallas attorney at Whistleblower Law for Managers today.

By Steve Kardell | Published October 17, 2016 | Posted in Whistleblower Litigation | Tagged whistleblower protection bill

Awards & Honors

Our Office

Dallas Office
4514 Cole Ave
#600
Dallas, Texas 75205
Phone: 214-306-8045
Fax: 469-729-9926

Testimonials

"Steve Kardell was terrific in representing me in some very adversarial discussions with Citigroup and also later represented me in my testimony before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission." -Richard Bowen, Citigroup Whistleblower
"Incredible knowledge of employee related concerns and equally brilliant knowledge of health care regulations, standards of practice. I would recommend this firm to anyone." -V.B.
"Reaching out to Steve Kardell was the best decision I made. His ability to provide immediate insight and direction was very powerful, and a huge relief during a very stressful time period. For anyone struggling with a whistleblower situation, I would highly recommend at least speaking with Steve. After a 10 minute call with him, I had a better understanding of what I was dealing with. Even better, he gave me some immediate hope. In the end Steve did a better job than I thought was possible. Steve was able to get in contact with people in my organization, that I didn’t have access to. Because of his years of experience, he already has contacts in many organizations in Dallas. The entire situation was handled peacefully. I was impressed by his ability to “keep the peace”–rather than creating a battle with the organization. The reason I didn’t reach out to a lawyer initially, was because I thought it would mean an immediate end to any hope of a positive relationship with the company. Steve was able to address my concerns, and in the end I was able to continue to work for them." -KS
"Never thought my career would end like it did after 30 years of service. I was part of the first round of the so called reduction of force. I asked myself how can I be part of this with 30 years of seniority. How did they pick these 90 plus employees? Now, the culture of this organization made you question every decision they made. It wasn’t what you knew it’s was a culture of who you know. Nonetheless, I did not accept their severance package. I immediately starting looking for an attorney who would take on my case. After the initial call to Steve I had hope again. He was open and honest about everything and reassured me he would do his best for me, and he did. I had an awesome outcome. Thanks Steve you’re the best." -S.S.