Stimulating Whistleblowing

The Whistleblower Law blog, an advocate for whistleblowers has a detailed look at the McCaskill Amendment to the stimulus passed by Congress last week, Congress Enacts Robust Whistleblower Protections to Prevent Fraud in Stimulus Spending.

It analyzes protected conduct under the bill as including:

Gross mismanagement of an agency contract or grant relating to stimulus funds;

A gross waste of stimulus funds;

A substantial and specific danger to public health or safety related to the implementation or use of stimulus funds;

An abuse of authority related to the implementation or use of stimulus funds; or

A violation of a law, rule, or regulation that governs an agency contract or grant related to stimulus funds.

It is not just a public sector bill but also covers private contractors where the source for their payment are stimulus funds. It seems it is not only bank executives who will be picking up restrictions when they pick up newly allocated government monies.