I expect that a decade ago, whistleblower issues were considered primarily to be the province of employment law attorneys. Then there was Sherron Watkins, Enron and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Suddenly, issues involving whistleblowers had the attention of corporate governance professionals. Recently, I began to think about just how many whistleblower laws are on the books and I started a list. Below is the list, which I’m sure is not complete. If you know of others, please let me know and I’ll add them to the list.
California
Labor Code Chapt. 5 (§ 1101 et seq.) See “California’s Whistleblower Hotline” and “Dropping a Dime in California“.
SEC and CFTC
Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Dodd-Frank Act
Federal environmental laws
Clean Air Act
Comprehensive Environmental Response,Compensation and Liability Act
Water Pollution Control Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
Solid Waste Disposal Act
Toxic Substances Control Act
Other federal laws
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Section 11(C) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act
Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act
International Safe Container Act
Surface Transportation Assistance Act
Energy Reorganization Act
Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century
Pipeline Safety Improvement Act
Railroad Safety Act
National Transit Systems Security Act
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
Affordable Care Act
Seaman’s Protection Act, as amended
FDA Food Safety Modernization Act