Congressman Al Green Announces Passage of Whistleblower Protection Reform Act of 2019

Statement

On Tuesday, July 9, 2019, Congressman Al Green released the following statement, announcing the passage of his bill H.R. 2515, which expands to all internal whistleblowers the full legal rights and protections against retaliation afforded by the Dodd-Frank Consumer Protection and Wall Street Reform Act:

"The Dodd-Frank Consumer Protection and Wall Street Reform Act (DFA) was established under the Obama Administration in 2010 to regulate the financial industry and to provide much-needed protections for American consumers. That legislation also ensured protections against employer retaliation for whistleblowers who report suspected misconduct by their employers. Unfortunately, in 2018, the Supreme Court restricted these whistleblower protections solely to those employees who report wrongdoing directly to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

"This controversial ruling not only undermined the efficacy of corporate compliance reporting systems, but it also excluded internal whistleblowers from any legal protections provided by the DFA, leaving those whistleblowers subject to retaliation, reprisals, and termination by their employers. My bill, H.R. 2515, restores these critical protections for all employees who report wrongdoing, whether within their company or to the SEC. The Whistleblower Protection Reform Act of 2019 will ensure that all whistleblowers enjoy the protections originally intended by the DFA nine years ago.

"I must thank my original co-sponsor Representative Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and my colleagues Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), and Van Taylor (R-TX) for their bipartisan support and co-sponsorship of this legislation. I am proud to announce the passage of H.R. 2515 and look forward to it being taken up and passing the Senate as well as its full enactment into law."

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