By DAVID BEARD
The Dominion Post
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The first bill expected to pass out of the GOP-led House of Delegates is a bipartisan effort to enhance protections for whistle-blowers.
SB 2006 had its second reading on the House floor Feb. 14 and is up for passage Feb. 15. It has 10 sponsors: six Republicans and four Democrats, including Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer, D-Monongalia.
The state Whistle-Blower Law protects public employees who report on an employer’s wrongdoing or waste. SB 2006 proposes to beef up the penalties for employers or employer representatives who attempt to retaliate against the whistle-blower.
The bill raises the maximum fine for an employer who breaks the law from $500 to $5,000. The person who violates the law would be personally liable for the fine.
The bill also elevates the maximum sanction against the guilty part from six months’ suspension to termination.
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